Windhoek
Coinciding with the start of Namibia’s National Heritage week on Monday, the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) kickstarted the first two-week “introduction to basic waitron services” training course for 15 mainly unemployed Namibians.
A collaboration with the Silver Spoon Hospitality Academy and some progressive HAN members, including Avani Hotel Windhoek, Wilderness Safaris and Roidina Safari Lodge, the aim of the basic course is to avail Namibian career seekers with a glimpse into the world of the hospitality and service industry.
Thusfar, the service culture has been termed the weakest link of the tourism sector, with service excellence, whether in the tourism sector or any other service industry in Namibia not meeting the demands of international visitors.
HAN believes in its duty to invest time, effort and available funds to improve the service culture among Namibians and has called out to its members to come forward with nominees and willingness to co-sponsor some 15 unemployed or under-skilled Namibians to undergo a two-week intensive training course in basic hygiene, waitron and bar and service skills.
The training takes the form of hands-on practical learning mainly and thus matches the call by Namibia Training Authority (NTA), and the government in general, for Namibia to increase vocational training in this country.
By providing urgently needed service skills, HAN believes it will increase the people’s self-confidence and pride, opening up employment opportunities in the service industry and instilling in them a service culture that they and Namibia in general can benefit from.
HAN believes this is not only a valuable contribution to National Heritage week, but also a worthy investment in the service culture and service excellence in Namibia.
On September 30, the trainees will be assessed by serving invited guests from tourism and the media and successful candidates will be issued with a certificate from Silver Spoon Hospitality Academy, itself a City & Guilds accredited training institute.