Gov`t develops HRD strategy for hospitality institutions
The government has developed a comprehensive Human Resource Development (HRD) Strategy to process, standardize and improve the curriculum for all the hospitality training institutions at the pre-tertiary level in the country.
This strategy would ensure that all the institutions have uniform curriculum, examinations and certification for their students to help produce graduates who can professionally blend theory and practice in the tourism industry.
The strategy also seeks to establish accreditation for the institutes to reflect an equal level quality training and specialized knowledge to enhance hospitality practitioners’ skills.
The Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, Mrs. Oboshie Sai Cofie announced this in a speech read on her behalf at a colourful graduation ceremony of the School of Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management in Accra.
She noted that over the years Ghana has made giant strides to increase and improve upon the quality of its tourism infrastructure and receptive facilities to help attract tourists into the country.
The Minister added that the government has put in enabling policies and programmes, and called on practitioners and tourism enterprises to respond by providing professional services through the exceptional training of staff.
The clamour to have sufficient share of the global tourist traffic has become very competitive and all things being equal, it is the appropriateness of service delivery that will make the difference, Mrs. Cofie observed.
Mr. Goyimwole Enukomeko Kpodo, the Executive Director of the School of Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management appealed to government to pay serious attention to the tourism sector as it did to other sectors of the economy.
He emphatically stated that the tourism industry is the only industry which can get the country out of its economic woes, as well as propelling the country to attain middle-income status by 2015.
Mr. Kpodo added his voice to the call on Ghanaians to keep their beaches and tourist facilities clean so as to attract more customers.
To the students, the Executive Director advised them to put up their best anywhere that they find themselves, saying “with positive attitude the sky is their limit.”
In all 145 students were graduated and awarded with Diplomas and Certificates, while some members of staff were also given prizes for their meritorious services to the school.
Source: The Chronicle