BHTA providing training opportunities for members

The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) is continuing its efforts to ensure that members receive necessary training in areas such as purchasing, cost control and vector control, which are critical for the sustainability of the tourism sector.

CEO Geoffrey Roach explained that over the years, training has been a central element of the BHTA’s mandate. He said, “We recognise the importance of training and retraining for our members in this fast-paced industry and are constantly looking for ways of providing these opportunities for them. It is necessary not only for them to remain relevant, but for them to continue to be competitive as well.

“We have all seen how the world changed over the past few years with the impact of COVID-19 and now that we have reopened, the approach to conducting business has also changed in many ways. This is why we partnered with Lisa Beckles Consulting for a series of Purchasing and Cost Control workshops to provide and refresh members with the knowledge necessary to set up and use the systems and approaches necessary for strategic procurement and cost reduction in present times.”

Roach noted that the training, which targeted Food & Beverage Managers and Supervisors, Cost Controllers, Executive and Sous Chefs, Purchasing Managers and Coordinators, Executive Housekeepers and Housekeeping Supervisors, covered a number of topics including Controlling, Basic Income Statements, Recipe Costing, Labour Cost Control and Cost Reduction Strategy.

“For the Vector Control Management workshop we collaborated with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) to expose our members to a number of topics including Diseases Transmitted by Rodents, Methods of Rodent Control and Signs of Infestation.  Our members were also provided with samples of rodent bait.

“Each workshop was well attended with representatives from over 20 member properties participating in both workshops. All reports have been positive with participants indicating that the sessions were very informative and provided practical information.”