Seventy-eight individuals earned a certificate after successfully completing training in the areas of front desks operations, housekeeping and food and beverage. The American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institution will be viewed as a great contribution to hospitality in Dominica.
This training was a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Discover Dominica Authority, Organization of American states and the Dominica State College.
The courses were offered over a four week period in August to September.
Discover Dominica Authority believe that adopting new approaches will prepare citizens to acquire the necessary skills and tools required to earn gainful employment with the development and openings of new properties such as Jungle Bay Resort and Spa and Cabrits Resort and Spa, Kempinski.
At the 2019/2020 inaugural of cruise season, three of the top participants of this training were invited to tour the ship, Neue Mein Schiff 2. These participants were namely Jesslyn Nelson, Emerlie Maxwell and Sweenda Pascal.
GIS had the opportunity to speak with each participant in reference to their experiences after this training.
Nelson, a college student says that this will contribute to her chosen career path and her interest in restaurant services.
“I did the study in the restaurant servers’ part of the program. The experience was nice, I enjoyed it a lot. It was very informative. We learnt a lot about restaurant life and the industry in which we plan to go into. We did a lot of table settings, how to carry a tray properly, how to conduct myself, how to speak to the guests and all of that, and so it was a very, very nice experience,” Nelson stated.
Maxwell said that the experience from the training will not only improve her work ethics but also her techniques at her current job, the Riverside Hotel.
“It was a great experience where we got to learn different chemicals, different measurements when making the beds, which was one of our top responsibilities. We found out a lot of things about guests, in terms of what type of guest we were going to be dealing with at what times and who we conduct ourselves with them it was very great. And right now, back at work, using all the different techniques, the different chemicals, I think with this training, if it continues, we would have the best service in the Caribbean,” she noted.
Sweenda Pascal who was the Representative for Bayport Residence told GIS News that she specialized in the front desk aspect of this training.
“As front desk personnel, we did a lot of customer service and basically how to deal with people, how to make people feel comfortable, and how to make them feel welcome. We learnt a lot about ourselves, because as a front desk person we realized we have a lot of different roles that we have to take on, not just being the person who says ‘hi’ and ‘welcome’, but so much more than that,” Pascal added.
DDA anticipates that the newly certified service providers will apply the knowledge gained into their respective fields in order to improve the quality of service delivered to guests and patrons.