Helping students choose wisely

It is undoubtedly difficult for 14-year-old students to decide what to do once they leave school. They need proper guidance to help them through this difficult decision, to make sure that what they chose is something they really want to do.

Now these students have a handy guidebook to help them choose wisely if they are thinking of a career in the tourism industry.

This new guidebook is the first of what is known as the Your Future series which is being published by the Malta Tourism Authority`s Human Resources and Support Services Directorate.

Once the whole series is published, students will have available a detailed source of information about careers in the various sectors of the tourist industry.

The present volume, published last month, deals with hospitality and catering, which provide the most opportunities in terms of employment within the tourism industry. Guidebooks dealing with travel, leisure and other relevant topics will follow.

All the guidebooks are set to answer questions students aiming for a career in tourism are likely to ask, such as: what does a person working in a particular position do? What kind of personality would be ideal for a certain job? What are the satisfactions gained from performing particular jobs?

The guidebooks also include information on the qualifications the students should acquire to join the tourism industry.

The present volume covers 23 different careers at various levels of responsibility in hospitality and catering. Since it is based on a number of interviews with people already working within the industry, it also offers expert advice and helpful tips to the potential recruit.

Copies of the first volume have been sent to every guidance unit and library in Malta and Gozo.

The publication of the guidebook follows the launch last November of a week-long programme in schools organised by the MTA`s Human Resources and Support Services Directorate called "Choice".

This programme aims to raise awareness on the tourist industry in secondary schools by giving the students information about the various sectors within it.

Through the "Choice" programme, students not only have the opportunity to meet speakers from the industry, but also go on field visits where they meet employees in the various sectors.

The students also get the chance to practise small practical tasks like table-laying, bed-making, napkin-folding, and ticketing.

On the last day of the week-long programme, the students give a presentation on what they have learnt during the week.

They also have three months in which to submit a tourism-related project, for which the best three will receive prizes. The two main prizes are trips to Prague and Ireland. During these visits, besides enjoying a cultural holiday, the students will also have the opportunity to meet foreign employees working in the hospitality industry.

The trips are being organised with the support of Air Malta, Corinthia Hotels International and CERT, the state training agency in Ireland. The third prize will consist of a weekend stay sponsored by the San Lawrenz Kempinski Resort. The presentation of the prizes will be held in June and the trips will take place in July.

The main aim of the "Choice" programme is to encourage young people to consider the tourism industry as a career option and to ensure that the industry`s long-term human resource requirements are met.

From my experience as co-ordinator of this programme, I can say that it immediately took off, particularly since, although schools do have the necessary information about the tourist industry, both teachers and students feel that nothing compares to the input received from those who have real-life experience of working in the industry.

The programme is also beneficial to employers in the industry who are investing their time in the future needs of the industry by meeting students who might, in the future, be working for them.

The programme generated so much interest that even though seven schools initially took part in the programme, by the end of the academic year, the MTA ended up visiting 15 government, private and Church schools, targeting around 1,500 fourth- and fifth-form students.

Meanwhile, some 20 schools have taken the initiative of registering their interest to take part in the programme during the next academic year.

The success of this programme is owed to not only to the efforts of the MTA but also to the goodwill of associations and organisations like the Institute of Tourism Studies, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Federation of Associations of Travel and Tourism Agencies and various individual hoteliers, restaurateurs and travel agents who gave their active support throughout the implementation of this year`s programme.

Now that the first year is over, the programme itself is undergoing an internal evaluation particularly based on the input of the students and teachers who have participated.

The next round of this programme should see the inclusion of other tourism-related sectors, such as Malta International Airport.

To obtain a copy of the Career Guide or more information about "Choice", call Ms Zammit Gatt, senior executive, HR planning, Human Resources and Support Services Directorate, on tel. 2291-5406/7/1.