The ADHM department at STA welcomes its 11th cohort |24 August 2019

Ms Larose while on training at STA

The Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA) is proud to welcome its 11^th cohort of the Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management (ADHM) programme for the new academic year.

The programme is geared toward applicants who wish to work in the hotel industry. Its mandate is to train locals in order for the Seychelles tourism industry to record a greater number of locals in managerial positions.

While students study an array of subjects such as Accounting, Marketing, Economics, and Human Resources Management, emphasis in recent years has been put on operations. Graduates are therefore expected to take up positions in either Front Office, Restaurant & Bar, Kitchen or Accommodation department of hotels upon their graduation.

The long-term goal is to at least have several Seychellois in general manager position in the future.

This year 22 new recruits are expected to join the programme. They are from different academic backgrounds such as SBSA, School of Advanced Level Studies (Sals), STA, as well as mature graduates from other professional centres. Most of the mature graduates were already holding a supervisory post in different hotels. They have decided to join the programme to broaden their knowledge and career in this field.

The new recruits will follow a mix of theory and practical related subjects as part of their first year training. All four operations department will also be covered.

In their second year, they will follow a 12-month internship programme. The first six months will be spent overseas while the remaining six months will be spent in a five-star hotel locally. During that year, the candidates will spend time in all four operational areas, with six months specialisation in a preferred department. The third year of their Advanced Diploma studies will be spent back at STA whereby in addition to theoretical subjects, the students are expected to organise an evening around a theme. The running of the kitchen and restaurant is left entirely up to them.

Upon graduating with the Advanced Diploma and successfully passing all subjects as well as a progression interview, the students have the choice to pursue their studies further at Shannon College of Hotel Management, in Ireland.

Before graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree, the students spend nine months at college as well as a further nine months in a hotel on internship. They have the choice to follow their final internship in Ireland, Seychelles and UAE.

The Seychellois students can stay up to 18 months overseas if they wish, meaning a further nine months after they graduate. To date, five cohorts representing more than 70 students have already proceeded to Shannon and graduated. Out of them there are currently departmental managers as well as assistant managers.

The programme is made possible through the dedication of the STA staff, sponsorship from the Seychelles government, the support of the trade, while quality aspects are monitored by Shannon College of Hotel Management, a college of the National University of Ireland in Galway.

Key achievements

• The team behind the daily running of ADHM is Seychellois with the strong support of Shannon College of Hotel Management.
• ADHM graduates are eligible to enter year 4 of the Bachelor in Business Studies in Hotel Management Ireland and they perform exceptionally well. Seychelles students have on three occasions clinched best award in the Shannon College Graduation among hundreds of their international peers. They are namely: Rosemay Lavigne, Medna Latulipe and Shylla Auguste.
• Graduates from the programme work in various hospitality sectors in Seychelles. Recently the bonding agreement has specified this to operations in order to guarantee more Seychellois in the fields of Food & Beverage and Rooms Division.
• Graduates of the programme are working overseas in countries such as UAE and Maldives through staff exchange facilitated by international hotel brands such as Hilton and Constance.
• ADHM graduates who proceed to Shannon College are eligible to stay and work a minimum of nine months and up to 18 months in Ireland. This can allow them to learn and develop in an international environment.
• ADHM graduates who have completed their degree overseas and come back are working in various hotels in Seychelles hence contributing to the local economy. Some have reached managerial positions.
• The students who graduated from Shannon College are further mentored through a mentoring committee led by the Department of Tourism.

Key elements from external examiner report Academic Year: 2017/2018

• Dr Sean Ruane continues to proactively and effectively manage the programme with support from Brigitte Joubert (assistant director) and Ursula Esparon (senior coordinator).
• The Student Group Work Contract that defines their group performance and penalties for non-participation is clearly an example of best practice.
• All modules are supported with syllabi, learning outcomes and the development of the content and delivery of teaching is informed by student module evaluations.
• With a full deployment of teachers, the need to block courses has been removed which has improved the students learning experience.

General Assessment: 5 (highest possible mark) and 1 (lowest possible mark)

Success story from past graduates

Vanessa Albest (ADHM 1^st Cohort)

My name is Vanessa Albest, and I was among the students in the 1^st cohort of the Advanced Diploma in Hospitality management (ADHM) in Seychelles. Hospitality is a vocation; it involves a natural passion and desire to make others happy. It is an industry which requires one to make personal sacrifices in terms of timings, social events, etc, but at the same time, it is an industry which is exciting and fulfilling.

After my 3 ½ years at the Seychelles Tourism Academy, we went to the Shannon College for about a year or so in order to get my bachelor degree, and then I came back to Seychelles for my final placement. Key in my success was putting God first and foremost, having goals and objectives, being determined, persistent, self-motivating, and always ensuring a balance in my life.

I joined the Hospitality industry in Seychelles at Hilton Northolme Resort & Spa in 2012, and this is where my career started and grew. I was employed as a Resort Host, and proved myself and worked up the ladder until I became a Front Office Manager within a little over 1 ½ years. I am genuinely a passionate person, ready to take on challenges, willing to learn new things, willing to develop others and a great team player, which are all crucial for a career in the Hospitality Industry. After working slightly over 5 years at this property, I moved to UAE as a Front Office Manager in charge of Housekeeping at the Hilton Sharjah!

I can say that a career in Hospitality is amazing, especially with the exposure to different cultures and nationalities. If this is som

Dominique Larose (ADHM 3^rd Cohort)

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” a question to reflect upon and one often asked at a young age - be it by your teacher or parents. I would answer by what I was familiar and surrounded with: teacher, banker, shop keeper; little knowing the possibilities and options waiting ahead.

And again they asked at the end of secondary school, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As you get older and a little wiser your world is expanded, filled with discoveries and new surroundings. I decided to settle for something familiar - Accounting. Majority of my family is in the field so I thought it would be something which I would benefit from, with all the help and support I would get from them.

After successful completion of my Advanced Diploma in accounting felt something was missing, but I was still to figure that out. News of the ADHM programme was becoming the talk of the town. Seychellois being empowered to grow in a high position on a small island developing state. What an opportunity and something different. While part-timing at a car hire firm, I decided to apply. It was something new, adventurous and exciting. The interview process demanding but entailing what it was about, the long hours ahead, the tasks and duties ensuring that you knew what you were getting yourself into, but perseverance was stronger and wanting to take on the challenge pushed me further on. Three years of sacrifice and determination passed by as if you had just started. Constance Lemuria, Constance Belle Mare Plage and Raffles Praslin all contributed to where I stand today.

Ireland was the final destination but not the end of the journey. An experience worth getting – learning culture, meeting new friends along the way, training to become independent but never forgetting the family of classmates I came with and that had your back along the way if you felt like you missed home. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in International Hotel Management, I could feel the air of change that came with it. Disciplined, suitably dressed and groomed to take on a new role. The entire course came with its required package but one thing which I learned overtime was needed for success. ATTITUDE was everything.

After nearly 3 years of devotion and trying to do my best at 100% as a housekeeping supervisor, I had sometimes felt like giving up, felt as if I was working hard but was going nowhere. Being surrounded by support and positive people I learnt that “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet” – Aristotle. The hard work was finally paying off, assuming more duties and responsibility came with being promoted to assistant manager. Even in times of difficulty, or feeling discouraged one should never give up.

That same year the director decided to part ways but the department still needed to run. My confidence had grown during these past years, removing away the shy person who kept everything in heart. Running a department with the help of 2 other assistant managers was not an easy task at hand but it pushed us to be better, which came with learning along the way and getting advice and something to not be shy of “asking for help when you need it”.

Hard work, never giving up and patience does pay off. The grass did get greener on the other side. I have finally found what I was unknowingly waiting for – the culture, the unlimited access of seeing, doing and learning and finally the connection from the outside – being quite enlivening to meet different people, understanding different cultures and understanding the needs and wants of people and how change is relevant. I no longer felt monotonous. Every day is different. And today I proudly stand as a Housekeeping Manager at Raffles Praslin, more heartened with learning and growing both in my career and as a person.