High-schoolers get a taste of Tourism Industry
By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Maurice Witherson, Manager Island Hopper
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ONE-HUNDRED-AND-FIFTY students from secondary schools across the island got a taste of the working world yesterday (Oct. 13) when they interned at many of the local business places that are part of the tourism industry in St. Kitts.
The job attachment initiative, organized jointly by the Ministries of Culture and Education in collaboration with the private sector, is the brainchild of Maurice Widdowson, Manager of Island Hopper, who recognized the need to sensitise the nation’s youth to the possibilities within the tourism industry.
The students were able to gain knowledge and hands-on experience working at TDC, Marriott, Delisle Walwyn and Company, Island Hopper, Caribelle Batik, Greg Safaris, St. Christopher Air and Sea Port and Brimstone Hill among many others.
In speaking to SKNVibes, Widdowson explained that it was interesting and, to a certain degree, surprising that the youth knew very little about tourism in St. Kitts, as many of the aspirations of the “brighter kids” were geared primarily toward professions such as banking, medicine and law.
“I was rather unimpressed and even disgusted by the message of tourism that was projected to youth as if tourism is low, degrading and or of the most mundane industries. Young people need to recognize that it is not so; it actually provides major opportunities for youth and for the nation at large. ~~Adz:Right~~
“By bringing them into the area of tourism, and by allowing them the time to actually see what it is like, it should help to dispel the myth that tourism only requires a low education and little skill. It has not manifested itself in the full conclusive manner as yet but, certainly, getting kids in the work place and allowing them to discuss what they have learnt with their contemporaries is a starting point, modest though it may be. The whole thing was about making information accessible and it has been reasonably successful,” Widdowson explained.
One of the organizers and representative in the Ministry of Education, Constance Richardson, said the initiative was launched with an aim to make students aware of the available jobs in the tourism industry and encourage some form of appreciation for the services provided through tourism.
“We hope that when they are finished, they are more motivated and aware of what is being offered in the country. I think the students are gradually moving away from the perception that tourism is an industry that encourages subservience and are rather recognizing the need for it in our economic situation.
“The students are very excited and we are seeing that many of them are actually showing liking and inclination to particular areas in the industry and are, in essence, finding their niche. There were many different opportunities available for the children which served as eye-openers for them. It feels successful already because the response from the business has been pretty ok.”
Widdowson shared his vision of collaborating with Christophe Harbour for future projects to allow greater interaction so that the students may be able to see the various opportunities to capture in the tourism sector.
