BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH the conclusion of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority (SKTA) and the OAS’ Certified Hospitality Department Trainer Workshop, managers and supervisors from several of the nation’s hotels have gained additional skills to transfer to their subordinates.
The five-day workshop was held last week at the Ocean Terrace Inn. It is the final phase of the Capacity Building: Tourism Training and Certification initiative that has resulted in dozens of the Federation’s hospitality workers being trained in the areas of hotel operations, management and food and beverages.
Course Facilitator Shirlene Nibbs informed that the objectives of the workshop were twofold: to certify the managers as departmental trainers and to give them the relevant training, skills, knowledge and competence to conduct one-on-one training and training sessions.
She explained that participants were instructed in areas such as the use of visual aids, the role of training in organisations, communication and on-the-job training. On the last day of the workshop, they sat an American Hotel and Lodging Association-approved exam that would certify them internationally as trainers.
SKTA CEO Rosecita Jeffers expounded on the significance of the workshop, revealing that her organisation would soon be implementing legal standards in the hospitality and tourism sector. She noted that workers in this sector would be held to these standards and would be legally liable for failure to adhere to them.
“That is why it’s important training that mechanisms such as this workshop occur. Our objective is to raise the level of service to a standard that is regionally and internationally acclaimed,” she stressed.
St. Kitts-Nevis OAS Representative Starett Greene concurred with Jeffers’ assertion and reinforced his organisation’s commitment to enhancing and improving the local tourism sector.
“The OAS is keen on building a cadre of trained professionals who will effectively contribute to the continuing efforts to build a lucrative, competitive and sustainable tourism industry. We want to further strengthen and develop existing skills as well as place emphasis on the importance of developing and maintaining high standards in every aspect of the industry’s operations. We are also eager to provide professionals with the requisite tools that will put them in a position to train others and thereby create an ever-expanding group of qualified employees in every department,” he said.
