The Tribune

More than 60 teachers have spent a week volunteering their time to learn about over 1,000 different types of careers in the tourism industry via an initiative between the Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA), the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Tourism.

Now in its ninth year, the programme has attracted more than 800 educators from all grade levels and subject disciplines, as well as guidance counsellors and administrators from throughout the Bahamas.

BHA president, Stuart Bowe, said “The summer educator internship program me is one of our core partnership activities with education.

“It recognises that many educators have not been exposed to our industry, and is designed to broaden their understanding about it and what it takes for young people to be successful and rise within its ranks”.

Jerome Fitzgerald, minister of education, said: “Your experience should prove beneficial to our students, as you will be able to cater to their career goals, particularly as it relates to the tourism industry.

“This programme has led to educators being better equipped to prepare young people to enter the tourism industry and convey to them that it is not an industry of last resort. It is, in fact, a sector which needs highly skilled employees and leaders.”

He added: “We want to see these types of collaborations replicated more often throughout our educational system - where education is tailored to our students’ interests and abilities. The time has come for us to become more realistic and practical with our limited education resources, and use them so that students, on leaving school, will have knowledge and certification for the job market. “

Mr Bowe added: “Our industry is at an important crossroads. Tremendous opportunities are before us. In just under three years, Baha Mar will be engaged in a mass recruitment exercise, and while our collaborative efforts have been good and have borne fruit, all of us need to raise the bar and challenge ourselves to work together, even more so if Bahamians, particularly young Bahamians, are to realise the opportunities which this project presents. The opportunities will be everywhere in the country, but they will only be available to those who are prepared.”

“We’ve connected the dots between tourism and education with activities like the junior hotelier program – now reaching over 1500 students each year.

“A growing number of students are spending time in industry on weekends, breaks and summers in structured programmes which we support – the latest being over 60 juniors and seniors who are spending most of their summer in industry as part of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Institute’s certification program.”

Educators exposed to the programme have worked with BHA over the years to introduce hospitality programmes and develop the curriculum in several private high schools.

Through the programme, the BHA and the Ministry have been able to also bring industry people to the table with educators to review and upgrade junior high school and high school tourism-related curriculum to ensure it is relevant to today’s workplace environment.

The BHA and the Ministry will launch a second week’s internship programme on Grand Bahama this August when over 50 educators are expected to participate.