Tourism: Quest for professionalism waning

A harmonization workshop for vocational programs of careers in hospitality and leisure was open on Wednesday in Yaounde.

Tourism, as creator of foreign currency and jobs directly and indirectly, is a promising growth subsector. But today the industry is facing a shortage of trained human resources and the use of family unskilled labour, less expensive and proliferation of training facilities lacking in educational equipment and adequate training standards.

Moreover, according to the Minister of State, Minister of Tourism and Recreation, Bello Bouba Maïgari, tourism businesses in Cameroon have a mismatch between the types of training offered and the needs expressed by the market. Similarly, theoretical training programs and not suitable for use.

It is in this context that the workshop was opened last Wednesday in Yaounde, a series of workshops on harmonization of vocational training programs and the validation of acquired experience in tourism, hospitality and leisure.

With the objective of improving the match between demand and supply of skills and provide equal opportunities for qualification. For the Minister of State, "the tourism industry will play a key role, likely to ensure economic growth with high added value." It can play this role if it offers quality services and demonstrated professionalism supported by appropriate training and competitive.

This reorganization of jobs in tourism, hospitality and recreation for the establishment of vocational training standards through harmonization of apprenticeship programs in academic institutions, and professional and solar will ultimately, to improve the profitability of workers in the trades of tourism, hospitality and leisure. An improvement that is needed with the emergence of a clientele increasingly diversified and demanding, while Cameroon will soon host the Nations Cup in 2016 and 2019.