The leader of the hotel industry association has called for an overhaul of hospitality education at the Barbados Community College.
Chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Stephen Austin expressed concern that too many young people were entering the industry without requisite “soft skills”.
Austin declared: “We should conduct a comprehensive review of the Barbados Hospitality Institute with the restructuring of the curriculum to ensure that it is relevant to the skills needed in the industry.
“This should be done in consultation with both private and public sectors.
“Too many times our young people leave the institute without the necessary skills to assist organizations and develop their careers.”
He told the BHTA’s quarterly general meeting that human resource training and development is one of the most vital elements of ensuring sustainable development of the tourism product, with one in every ten jobs being tourism-based, according to estimates.
Austin said: “We need to do better. How are we going to do better though?
“We need to ensure that all young Barbadians, starting in our primary and secondary schools, are educated about the potential opportunities available in the travel and tourism sector. National education programme, coordinated with attachment opportunities in the industry would be beneficial.
“We have to reduce the gap between qualification by offering scholarships and specific sector training such as on the job training.”
He also called on industry bosses to underscore existing opportunities in the industry by offering more seasonal jobs “whereby part-time and temporary work in the industry can assist Barbadians and supplement their income”.
Austin said: “With the education of our young minds in schools we will be able to eliminate the perception that the tourism industry is a last resort.”
The BHTA chairman urged members to tell more of the island’s success stories and help inspire young people to get involved in the industry, adding that they should also offer ongoing training for their employees.
Austin reported that the BHTA was in the process of planning an industry-wide training programme for members in a number of areas to ensure that team members have skills to better engage guests.
“The BHTA will also soon launch a young leaders development programme.
“This is dedicated to assisting talented young employees in an effort to propel them from middle management to senior management in the tourism industry,” he announced (MM)
