BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LEADING the private sector into a new dimension of human resource development, the Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Casino has warmly welcomed participants of the Youth Empowerment through Skills (YES) programme to its facility as the management holds human resource development as a top priority.
As of June 1, participants of the youth programme will be trained at the hotel in areas of Food and Beverage, Office Administration and Housekeeping and are expected to benefit immensely from the skills-based initiative.
Speaking to SKNVibes, General Manager of the hotel Dimitris Cosvogiannis praised the YES programme for the focus it places on improving the quality of life for participants by giving them the opportunity to learn a skill. He added that the “wonderful opportunity” provided by the youth-based initiative complements the existing training opportunities available in the hospitality industry.
“The YES programme is a fantastic opportunity that the government has put together. My words are apolitical; they are simply geared at the best interest of the people that are employed here in this hotel and the people of this beautiful national as a whole,” he said.
According to Cosvogiannis, the hotel has an obligation, as the second largest hotel on the island, to extend the training in order to avoid “perpetuating a group of unskilled labourers”.
He added that providing training in hospitality not only benefits the individuals involved but also enhances the nation’s tourism product.
“It’s beyond the financial contribution…this is the human element that we are developing. We want that once you have worked at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel, you can work anywhere in the world. I want to create a succession plan; when I leave here, I want a Kittitian to take my place for the hotel to run with the same efficiency,” he added.
The General Manager indicated that training should be made necessary throughout the tourism sector, adding that government and the private sector must commit to enhancing their human resource in order for the nation to be at an advantage.
“We need to force stakeholders to introduce training programmes so that the hotels have not only an interest in training but also have an obligation to train in order to create qualified staff. Ultimately, the staff would be properly trained and guests would have an experience that is unique and above any other and will return. So it’s a win-win situation,” he said.
According to Cosvogiannis, training should be a key prerequisite to benefit from accreditation and concessions on imported goods. He thanked the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism for “sharing the passion and conviction that this is the direction we need to take as stakeholders and as a country”.
Cosvogiannis made it clear that he intends to hire graduates of the YES programme, emphasising his certainty that the individuals would properly trained. He said the Royal St. Kitts Hotel would continue to play a leading role in hands-on training which, in addition to theory, is “priceless”.
