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Draft Final Report, 19 th July, 2012
10.3 TRAINING NEEDS
The Department of Education is looking for technical
assistance to conduct a full training needs analysis for the
entire economy, not just the tourism sector, which would also
come up with proposals for mechanisms for training delivery.
For the tourism sector alone, training is required in a large
number of areas including: management/supervisory skills;
train the trainer; front office; customer care relations; cookery;
waiting skills; housekeeping; tour guiding; and taxi driver
guiding. The NTS&P recommended the following priorities (in
order of priority) for existing employees:
• Customer Handling
• Cookery
• Tour Guiding, including taxis
• Housekeeping
• Waiting Skills
• Front Office
• Management/Supervisory Skills
• Train the Trainer
The dilemma faced then and now is how to provide the
necessary training interventions when the numbers are going
to be so small, with few new entrants, and will fall substantially
after the initial retraining of existing staff. It would obviously be
unrealistic to have eight different teachers for each of the
above priority areas.
The approach adopted under TDP 2 was the continuation of
the short courses that were run in previous years by CHTI and
by private organizations. During 2009, CDB-sponsored
consultants conducted training courses in Guest Relations for
41 persons - 25 airport staff and 16 general staff; Food &
Beverage Service (16 persons); Basic Food Preparation (17
persons); Housekeeping (23 persons) ; Cake and Pastry
Making (14 registrants ), while (with the return of the ferry
service). In all, A total of 111 persons were trained in Years I
and 2 of the programme. A CTO consultant conducted a 20-
hour taxi tour guide and customer service training programme
in early July 2010.
As with most short courses these are useful, but more indepth
interventions are required to upgrade levels of
competence.
10.4 TOURISM EDUCATION
In schools throughout the Caribbean region, tourism is
accredited as one of the core units or options of the Social
Studies module in the revised CXC syllabus. This helps to
inform secondary schoolchildren about the importance of
tourism to the local economy as well as about prospects for
careers in the tourism industry. However, there is need to
develop a supplementary career guidance service for those
studying tourism.
Within the OECS sub-region, the Antigua and Barbuda
Hospitality Training Institute (ABHTI) has been identified as an
OECS Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality. It
currently offers one year certificate programmes and two year
diploma courses in the areas of Food & Beverage, Culinary, or
Hospitality Management, as well as a variety of short courses.
There are plans to expand its reach to the wider OECS
tourism and hospitality community. Montserrat should be able
to benefit from this initiative.
MONTSERRAT TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2012 – 2022
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