Division of Hotels and Restaurants

Hospitality Education Program

Due to recent legislation, HEP's sole purpose is administering the school-to-career grant program. The division is implementing this new law and has discontinued HEP's training program. Please see our FAQs for more information on the change in the HEP program.

The Hospitality Education Program (HEP) is an industry-financed, industry-supported education grants program. Its goal is to administer the school-to-career grants authorized under Section 509.302, Florida Statutes.

The HEP and the grants are funded by a $10.00 stipend on each license. The grants are awarded to hospitality industry related statewide non-profit organizations for the benefit of students obtaining training in the hospitality industry.

School-to-career grants are awarded for a period of four years, with annual funding. The current grant cycle ends June 30, 2012. Eligibility criteria and the application process is described in rule 61C-8, Florida Administrative Code. Applications and other forms are available on our website.

For more information on the HEP school-to-career grants, contact the Customer Contact Center at 850.487.1395.