Education & Training

Workforce Development Activities

Education and Training: Foundations for a Successful Hospitality Industry

Industry Develops Workforce Development Plan with Educators
The high priority given to education and training activities was evident from the start of the year, when a full half day of the Executive Committee's strategic planning retreat was dedicated to these issues. BHA engaged representatives from the Department of Education, the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI), the College of The Bahamas and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in the process of developing a workforce development plan for the industry.

This was followed by two months of discussions with all stakeholder interests and resulted in a roadmap - a plan - outlining areas of emphasis and the private sector's role in developing and improving programs at the junior and senior high school levels, in creating new programs at BTVI, and in reconfiguring COB's School of Hospitality and Tourism Studies into a more flexible and demand-based Institute.  Aspects of the plan moved into implementation later in the year with a large portion of the plan being incorporated into public-private sector activities as part of an IDB- supported Ministry of Education initiative slated to commence early in 2006.

Human Resources Needs Assessment Completed
In an effort to provide focus on priority areas for education and training programs, BHA, with support from the Ministry of Tourism, undertook a human resources needs assessment which was completed by mid-year.  All large and mid-sized hotels, a sampling of small hotels, and a cross-section of approved tourism-related developments participated in the assessment.  The data has been shared with the team working on a major IDB loan facility to improve vocational and technical education.  A stakeholder meeting in April helped to finalize a list of recommended action steps for the public and private sectors to advance the education and training agenda for the industry.

Hospitality Curriculum Workshop Held
Over forty educators and industry personnel participated in a week-long workshop to review and update the tourism and hospitality curriculum presently being offered in the high schools.  Industry resource persons shared with teachers and curriculum officers skills standards required for young people to enter and succeed in the industry.  The CARIBCERT standards were incorporated into the workshop.  Educators used the workshop to update their curriculum.  The workshop also served as a foundation for a much broader and in depth revision set for 2006.

Year Two Summer Internship for Educators
Approximately eighty-five educators participated in a four day internship program this summer, placing them in the workshop to get some real-world insight into the opportunities available in the industry and the behavioural and skills prerequisites for success.  Minister of Education The Honourable Alfred Sears provided the keynote address at the closing luncheon.

IDB Loan to Help Industry and Education to Retool Approach
BHA played a supportive role with team members from the Ministry of Education and the Inter-American Development Bank, as they finalized details for a multi-year program aimed in large part at establishing pilot tourism and hospitality programs in the high schools, updating the social studies and other curricula in the junior high schools, creating a bridge program to help transition school leavers into post secondary education or the workplace, and creating a certificate program in tourism-related subjects at a re-tooled BTVI.  The program calls for an active role by BHA and the industry.

MOT Launches Careers in Tourism Website
Students, teachers, guidance counselors and the general public have a new resource for exploring the wide-ranging job and career opportunities in the industry, thanks to a website developed by the Ministry of Tourism, with support from BHA, the industry, educators and students.  The site, www.bahamastourismcareers.com, was unveiled this September.  

HR Professionals Continue Customer Service Workshops
The BHA Human Resources Association continued with its series of customer service workshops offered to the hotel and tourism industry.  The half-day sessions, which are motivational and practical in nature, conducted by Police Superintendent Shennadoah Evans, take a non-conventional approach.  Participate response has been extremely positive.

CARIBCERT Achieved by Grand Bahama Employees
Approximately forty employees from Grand Bahama hotels were awarded with the CARIBCERT distinction, having met the international performance criteria which are part of the regionally based program. BHA helped to develop the program, which is based on international standards by as determined by some of the leading players on the global hospitality stage.

Labour Union and Industry Agree to Joint Scholarship
In a first, the Bahamas Hotel Employers Association, the Bahamas Hotel Catering & Allied Workers Union, and BHA agreed to establish a joint scholarship program, to be offered early in 2006.  As a start, up to $10,000 in annual scholarships will be offered by the three organizations to support studies in tourism and hospitality areas.

Members Support Caribbean Hotel Foundation
A record sixteen hotels participated in the Caribbean Hotel Foundation fundraising auction, conducted at the Caribbean Hotel Association's CHIC meeting in June. Each of the hotel packages included air travel courtesy of Continental Connection-Gulfstream Airlines.  The funds raised will help support additional scholarships for Bahamians.

Landmark Study Points to Education Shortcomings, Presents Recommendations
BHA played a leading role in the development of a report, "Bahamian Youth: The Untapped Resource". The report, endorsed by the nation's leading business and labour organizations, clearly illustrates that improving education in one of our nation's greatest challenges.

Acknowledging that many of the challenges which education faces are indicators of broader societal problems, the report points to a number of improvement efforts which are already in place or show considerable promise. An analysis of the BGCSE test scores coupled with employer feedback suggests significant difficiencies. The report was released this fall and supporting organizations have begun a campaign to share the findings and recommendations with the broader public in an effort to galvanize greater public support for and involvement in improving education, and subsequently the quality of the nation's future labour force.