CHATA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF CURAÇAO INTRODUCE: ‘READY FOR TOURISM’

CREATING ADEQUATE TRAINING AND JOB SECURITY IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

In November 2019, Curaçao Hospitality & Tourism Association (CHATA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Development (MEO) and the Ministry of Social Development, Labour and Welfare (SOAW), announced the introduction of the project ‘Ready For Tourism’. This educational and continuous project is part of the Growth Strategy Project for Curaçao and provides the opportunity to 300 citizens to obtain adequate training and job security in the local tourism industry.

WRITER: DESI DIJKHUIZEN

The companies involved in the program where the participants work and gain experience for 6 months are: Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort, Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort, Papagayo Curaçao, Hemingway Restaurant, Nemo Restaurant, Piazza Restaurant, Chill Beach Bar & Grill, Kura Hulanda Lodge & Beach Club, Morena Resort Curaçao, AM Resort, Baoase Luxury Resort, Avila Beach Hotel, Curacao Marriott Beach Resort, and Livingstone Jan Thiel Resort. At this moment, due to the recent developments and impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), ‘Ready For Tourism’ has been postponed until further notice. Although these are uncertain times, it is still important to highlight the potential positive impact of this project and the recent developments of CHATA. Despite the financial and social challenges Curaçao has been experiencing over the last couple of years, the island has made great improvements in the tourism sector compared to other economic sectors on the island. The tourism sector demonstrated resilience against outside shocks and has been able to steadily increase its prominence in our local economy. Curaçao’s tourism product has changed significantly over time with regard to the product portfolio, market segment mix, and the industry’s overall contribution to the economy. Consequently, this growing sector became a substantial source of employment on the island. “The tourism and hospitality industries have been experiencing rapid growth. For this matter, capable employees with willingness to work are very much needed. This necessity and the social aspect of people in need of work, were essential factors for CHATA to start with the execution of the project ‘Ready For Tourism’, as part of a Public-Private Partnership between MEO, SOAW and the business industry” says Miles Mercera, CEO of CHATA.

‘Ready For Tourism’ focuses on enthusiastic adults that are motivated to work in tourism and the hospitality sector. The content of the program is on a basic level and the setup links with the education system ‘On the Job Learning’. This means that after admission, the participants start theory training, focusing on the practical part for a couple of weeks. In addition to having subjects with technical content, there will also be more general subjects, such as languages and customer service. All participants are trained to work as a team emphasizing on exceptional customer service and its benefits.

“The admission of the participants depends on their motivation, personality and sense of responsibility. Professionals from the labor market of the government and private sector will have an introduction conversation with every participant and subsequently will determine those capable for the application process into a teaching company in this industry. After a positive application, the company will confirm the acceptance of the participant. During the first 4 weeks of the program, the participant will not receive a salary, however, after that he/she will earn minimum wage as well as all the rights of a regular employee” Miles Mercera explains.

The programs being presented by the local educators of ‘Ready For Tourism’ are for: kitchen assistant, service assistant, hospitality security assistant and housekeeping. “This project does not only focus on employment. It’s an educational program that focuses on community formation, the importance of tourism in our society and the emphasis on personal growth. CHATA is not an educational institution. Therefore, after successfully training 300 adults within the project, CHATA will officially hand over the concept of the project to the regular educational institutions, creating the opportunity to continue to offer this exceptional teaching method in a more sustainable way. Tourism and hospitality education play a major role in preparing students to gain professional and practical skills required by the tourism industry. Tourism and hospitality practical training is necessary for students to develop personal skills and abilities which will help them in the future with career growth opportunities. At the end of the day, these youngsters will become Curaçao’s ambassadors”, he continues.

Recently ‘Ready For Tourism’ partnered with Stichting Vakbekwaamheid Horeca (SVH) in the Netherlands, an organization whose main objective is to increase professional competence in the hospitality industry. SVH develops the learning resources and teaching methods plus ensures information comprehension by conducting exams while providing guidance on training in hospitality. SVH is part of the International Organization for Standardization, an international standard-setting body. As an independent, non-governmental organization, it is the world’s largest developer of international standards and facilitates world trade by providing common standards among nations. “Recently we signed this important agreement which gives extra credentials to all participants” Miles adds.

Besides young adults and unemployed people who want to start working in tourism, ‘Ready For Tourism’ will soon focus on people who benefit from government assistance programs. “We know there’s a great part of our community that counts on these programs, because of unemployment. By giving them a chance to start working in tourism through the ‘Ready For Tourism’ project, it will not only help cost reduction in the public sector, but will give a positive focus on personal development and local tourism industry. We are proud for the role we have as CHATA in the development of our economy. The first year of ‘Ready For Tourism’ is just the beginning of an even more interesting venue. Tourism boosts our economy, employs thousands of people, enriches our businesses and pays for important public services. Tourism works for each of us, every day”, he concludes.

Unfortunately, due to the development of the coronavirus crisis, this project has been postponed until further notice. As a temporary solution, CHATA recently introduced a Stay Home Hospitality Academy Curaçao in collaboration with partner SVH. Stay Home Hospitality Academy Curaçao gives all hospitality employees the opportunity to follow different packages of e-learning courses online, completely free, for two months. After participation, the participant will receive a participation certificate from CHATA and SVH.

“CHATA is continuously monitoring the tourism industry and its developments in order to communicate efficiently and effectively to the members and the public. It is only a matter of time until our tourism industry will deteriorate completely. The decline in business is inevitable, which will lead to a shutdown of all tourism related operations” Miles explains. CHATA forecasts that travel in general will remain on hold for a minimum of 3-4 months. The recovery period for the tourism industry will be between 6 and 18 months. CHATA expects that our accommodation sector will re-establish operations by Summer 2020 or high season 2020/2021. However, this may differ per property and type of business as well as how the COVID-19 pandemic develops. “It is important to mention that we are all in this together, the industry always recovers, but not without each other’s help; one must be understanding and patient” he continues. CHATA hopes to be able to count on the entire community’s support during this difficult time and that everyone abides to the rules issued by the government; practice social distancing, wash hands frequently, use hand sanitizer and cover coughs or sneezes. The tourism industry has shown its resilience in the past and expectation is the same in the future.

To learn more about ‘Ready For Tourism’, visit www.klapaturismo.com and for more information about Stay Home Hospitality Academy Curaçao, visit www.chata.org./ academy.