At the new Corendon hotel under construction.
WILLEMSTAD--In an effort to raise awareness amongst the younger generation that the hospitality industry offers ample opportunities, Protestant Schoolboard VPCO together with the Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA) will be giving more attention to this theme on a yearly basis at its schools.
“In collaboration with CHATA and various companies in the private sector, excellent programmes have been developed in all VPCO schools,” said Elles Zuijdam, initiator of the project. Hotels will provide guided tours and different businesses will hold workshops at the schools.
Dr. Albert Schweitzer College Parera kick-started the project. All first- and second-year students had excursions to different tourist locations to see what these areas have to offer regarding culture, nature and history. There were field trips to Country House Bloemhof and Unique Curaçao.
The students at school also completed practical assignments in different languages and participated in a “Taaldorp” (Language Town) in which they had to visit different posts in four languages and had to either order something or discuss a problem in a foreign language.
High school students of the third and fourth year had activities that focused on their sector. They passed by Curaçao International Airport, the Dolphin Therapy & Research Centre, Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort, Kontiki Beach Resort, Renaissance Mall & Rif Fort as well as the Renaissance Resort & Casino to learn about the wide range of possibilities the hospitality industry has to offer.
Project leader, Iris Ludekuse from Dr. Albert Schweitzer College Parera, positively reflected on this initiative. According to her, the cooperation between the various entities went well and the students received valuable information about the job diversity within the field.
“Due to the project-based nature of this initiative, the students were given an idea of what it is like to work in the tourism sector by coming together on multiple days to realise their objectives. As a result, they were intrinsically motivated and performed in an enthusiastic manner,” she said.
The school is grateful for the support of the CHATA-members such as the complimentary transportation for the students arranged by FBTT Travel. This initiative would not have been possible without their help.
Visiting the Ostrich Park.
Moreover, the schools have had the opportunity to visit different hotels and resorts. These visits go hand in hand with the different projects in class, such as the conversion of the classroom into a travel agency, the creation of an imaginary touristic island and the creation of a special world map dedicated to countries belonging to the biggest markets for Curaçao as a destination.
Recently, CHATA launched the “Kla pa Turismo” (Ready for Tourism) project of which the goal is to train 300 individuals to join the industry. The campaign focusses on the importance of the sector as well as the demand for competent labour.
“Given the fact that the tourism sector is progressing, we have to make sure that our education system has a direct involvement with the private sector in order to develop close ties between the two. CHATA is extremely happy and content with the initiative of VPCO,” stated a release.
“Lastly, CHATA is proud to have taken part in this programme and gladly offers its support in the form of collaborations between its members with the intention to repeat this programme on a yearly basis.”
