Walt Disney World Resort announced a $1.5 million investment in Valencia College to help fund the transformation and relocation of its culinary arts and hospitality program. This move plays a part in Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s vision of an educational ecosystem in the downtown Orlando area.

The investment will help fund state-of-the-art classrooms and cutting-edge equipment for students at the Walt Disney World Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality.

The program will help provide a foundation to open doors to the future as local students pursue their studies in the upgraded areas and classrooms.

The Valencia College Downtown Campus, a shared campus with the University of Central Florida, will open to students for the fall 2019 semester. The campus will serve as the heart of Valencia’s culinary and hospitality programming, offering degree programs, certificates, and workforce training. The campus strives to improve lives through affordable education.

In addition to the $1.5 million investment announced today, the Walt Disney World Resort culinary team has partnered with Valencia College to provide expertise and experience as they refresh their culinary arts curriculum.

Walt Disney World Resort has been an integral part of Central Florida’s culinary arts and hospitality industries for decades, employing thousands of world-class culinary chefs and hospitality leaders. With its commitment to fostering education and employment opportunities, Walt Disney World Resort is helping students achieve their career goals.

Valencia College also recently joined the growing network of schools included in the Disney Aspire program. Along with the University of Florida, University of Denver, Bellevue, Brandman and Wilmington Universities, Disney will offer its eligible cast members the opportunity of 100-percent paid tuition upfront for a variety of degrees and programs through Valencia College—including culinary arts and hospitality programs.

Learn more about the Disney Aspire program here, and about the impact it is having on cast members here.

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