Ex-public service workers start retraining in tourism |04 December 2008

 
Mr Moncherry addressing guests and the batch of trainees during the induction on Tuesday

The group of 102 – consisting mainly of people who have been unemployed and those taking advantage of the Voluntary Departure Scheme –¬ were shown their classrooms and introduced to lecturers for their chosen course.

Also in this batch of trainees are two people who have taken the early retirement option introduced for people aged 55 and over.

The tourism industry now has some 8,000 expatriates working in it, a situation the government is taking steps to change.

Peter Moncherry, the general manager of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), says the training courses are the way the government plans to address the problem of having too many expatriates in the industry and to replace them with Seychellois.

The courses – tailor-made to suit the trainees’ chosen career in the field – will be held over six weeks at the STA to teach them the basics of what they should know when joining the tourism sector.

They will cover the theory and practice of topics such as housekeeping, travel and tour guiding as well as food production.
Marie-Claire Marie, the general manager for hotel services at the STB, says the process of selecting the students was very strict so as to get the best candidates on the course.

Before even enrolling, the students had to sign a bond committing themselves to working in the industry for at least a year. If they fail to do so, they will have to pay back the R20,000 the government has invested in their training.
Mr Moncherry said this is a small price to pay for such an opportunity to further themselves in their chosen careers.
He also appealed to the trainees to give their full commitment to the programme and “seize the opportunities it proposes through goodwill, self-discipline and right attitudes”.

Once the trainees have successfully completed the course, they will be employed by hotels and local destination management companies.

They will also receive a certificate, which Mr Moncherry says will open doors for them as well as help them keep pace with new developments in the industry.

Also present at the induction ceremony on Tuesday were the Minister for Employment and Human Resources Development Macsuzy Mondon and officials from the STB.