Despite extremely challenging times for tourism companies, Gondwana Collection Namibia has embarked on its third Go4Gold journey with 12 potential young leaders. The Go4Gold Academy is structured around process-oriented learning and encouraging all participants to achieve their personal best. 

Besides their work at Gondwana Collection Namibia, the participants attend six modules and complete five on-the-job projects as well as a year-long project. The first five-day long module kicked off on 18 January  in Windhoek and was attended by lodge and Windhoek-based Gondwanians.

“I have adjusted the content of the programme in such a way that Go4Gold is grooming Gondwana‘s leaders for a new era in the tourism industry,” said Ume Goldbeck, the Go4Gold team trainer and leadership coach. 
“Guest expectations have shifted dramatically and very quickly. Transparency and trust are taking on entirely new dimensions and new skills will need to be developed to continue to deliver the highest levels of service to guests while still respecting the rules and regulations that are influencing us on every level of our lives.” 

The hospitality sector has been among the worst-hit during the Covid-19 crisis. While this has been a deeply challenging time for all those involved in the world of hospitality, Ume Goldbeck sees good reasons to be optimistic about the industry’s recovery – a process he feels will be made easier by smart adaptation, flexibility, resilience, and a willingness to evolve with the times.

“These are attributes and skills which can be learned and will be the key focus during the Go4Gold Academy in 2021,” Goldbeck said. 
“Another aspect to work on is to find a way to stimulate social contact while obeying physical distancing laws. The strategy for finding success in this challenging time is not a simple path but an adaptable mentality. We have a lot of work at Go4Gold 2021, but I am very excited to start this journey!”

The Go4Gold initiative forms part of the programme of the Gondwana Training Academy that was established in 2017 and only selected Gondwana employees may participate in the various in-house training programmes.