People with a refugee or migrant background often experience discrimination on the German education and labour market. Although there is a high demand for skilled workers in many industries, bureaucratic hurdles, language barriers, prejudices and the lack of recognition of their own qualifications make it difficult for immigrants to gain a foothold in Germany and get off to a flying start in their careers.

The idea for the qualification programme was developed by Über den Tellerrand kochen München e. V. . With its Gastro Academy, the non-profit association has been offering practical training in the field of gastronomy since 2021 - with course formats that take place several times a year, partly as compact intensive offers, partly as weekly training courses.

In 2023, the programme was expanded to include the hotel industry – in cooperation with Motel One and with the support of the One Foundation.