Transcript INVESTING IN CAPACITY BUILDING AND SKILLS …

INVESTING IN CAPACITY BUILDING
AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
CONTENT:
1.
Tourism and skills development
2.
Training philosophy
3.
Aims and objectives of training
4.
Principles of effective training
5.
Benefits of effective training
6.
A few negative effect of training
7.
The Labadi Beach Hotel experience
8.
The assessments method
WHAT IS CAPACITY BUILDIING
Capacity building is often referred to as the
assistance that is provided to entities or
individuals who have a need to develop a
certain skill or competence for general
upgrading of performance ability.
Tourism and Skills Development
The Tourism Industry in Ghana is concerned about the
progress, which is being made in the development of
relevant and usable skills for the future. The Current
educational programmes in Ghana are not sufficiently
aligned to industry needs and the industry is not involved
enough in curriculum development and in providing
structured and meaningful on-the-job practical exposure.
There is the need for the private sector to be much more
involved in all issues relating to skills training and
capacity building, and to volunteer both time and
expertise to government structures to get this right.
Training Philosophy
According to Armstrong (1999) there are three broad approaches to training opened to
organisations. Some adopt a lassie-faire approach, believing that employees will find
out what to do for themselves or through others. (E.g. If skill shortages were to be
encountered, they would rectify the situation by poaching staff from other
organisations that invest in training).
Secondly other organisations may invest in training in good times, but in bad times
their training budgets are the first to suffer.
Thirdly organisations that adopt a positive training philosophy do so because they are
convinced that they live in a world where competitive advantage is achieved by having
higher quality individuals than their competitors. This goal cannot be achieved if
organisations do not invest in developing the skills and competencies of their
employees.
It is important for employees who’s skills are being developed to also realise that
organisations are showing an act of faith by creating opportunities for further
education and enhancement of their skills. This is the proactive approach rather than
reactive approach designating training as a continuous and on-going process within
the company.
Aims and Objectives of Training
Armstrong (1999) states that the fundamental aim of training is to help
organisations achieve their purpose by adding to their key resources i.e. the
people they employ. Investing in training means that employees will be able
to perform better and empower themselves to make use of their natural
abilities.
The main objectives of training are to:
a.
Develop competencies of employees to improve their
performance.
b.
Help people to grow within the organisation in order
that as far as possible, its future human resources can
be met from within.
c.
Reduce the learning time for employees starting in new
jobs on appointment, transfer, or promotion, and
ensure that they become fully competent as quickly
and economically as possible.
Principles of Effective Training
For a company to design an effective training programme the following
principles should be known and understood:
i.
Training can only be successful if it is recognised that learning is a
voluntary process that individuals must be keen to learn and
consequently they must be properly motivated.
ii.
Learning is hindered by feelings of nervousness, fear, inferiority, and by
lack of confidence.
iii.
Instruction must be given in short frequent sessions rather than a few
long lectures.
v.
Training must be participatory, involve participants in all aspect of the
training schedule.
vii.
Trainees need clear targets and progress to be checked frequently.
viii.
Confidence has to be built up by praise, not broken down by reprimand
so as to make learning rewarding.
Benefits of Effective Training
The principles of effective training dictate that training needs must be
tailored to suit individual needs. If these principles are followed and
understood the following benefits could be obtained:
1. Minimise learning costs.
2. Improve individual, team and corporate performance in terms of output,
quality, speed and overall productivity.
3. Attract high quality employees by offering them learning and development
opportunities, increasing their levels of competence and enhancing their
skills thus enabling them to obtain more job satisfaction to gain higher
rewards and to progress within the organisation.
4. Increase the commitment of employees by encouraging them to identify
with the mission and objectives of the organisation.
5. Provide higher levels of service to customers.
A few negative effect of training
It would be idealistic to assume that everything is positive for organisations that invest in
training programmes for their employees. They can fall prey to other organisations that
have no training policy and depend on poaching. As a direct result of a no training policy
the latter can offer attractive remuneration to poach staff resulting in high staff training
costs.
The reason some companies are able to entice staff away may be due to the fact that
many employed within the Hospitality industry are very employable because they are
multi-skilled which means that they are qualified for a number of positions. (E.g. some
Hotels employ workers who will be able to work within food & beverage and
accommodation department’s etc).
It must also be remembered that absence of employees from the workplace while on
training can adversely affect productivity levels in the short term.
In an ideal situation, it would be appropriate that every organisation develop a program
to regularly train their staff. However many organisations will still depend on poaching
the quality staff from other competitors. This should not stop the training and
development of employees because there are still some benefits to be derived from
training their employees. A better remuneration could be used as a form of retention
system to maintain the trained employees.
Finally, it is important to note that a holistic approach to employees training and skill
development in the tourism industry could serve as a side attraction to lure investors
into the country to make use of the skills, which will be readily available.
THE LABADI BEACH HOTEL EXPERIENCE
In line with our vision of investing in staff training, skills development and capacity building,,
Legacy Hotels in South Africa the management company for Labadi Beach Hotel introduced the
City and Guilds course. This course was introduced to give formal education to our employees
who have gained the practical knowledge of the job but with a little or no formal education.
We obtained accreditation from the City and Guilds office in UK through their local representative
to enable our candidates (staff) write the examinations in Accommodation services, F&B
Services, Front Office Operations and Cookery. These exams are written in June and November
of every year on our premises.
The Hotel has engaged the services of a consultant from South Africa who have trained and
mentored seven of our Heads of Department and three supervisors as facilitators to assess
candidates from their respective departments. The Human Resource manager has also been
trained, as internal verifier to monitor the progress of both candidates and assessors. She also
serves as the link between the Hotel and the City and Guilds Office, in addition to being the
examination secretary.
The City and Guilds Qualifications has seven levels:
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
- Certificate
- Diploma
- Advanced Diploma
- Advanced Technician Diploma
- Graduateship Associateship
- Membership
- Fellowship
Currently, we are offering courses in the first three levels.
The following are the Assessments methods:
Observation
Physically watching a learner perform a task.
Questioning
Asking questions relating to work performance, range of situations and understanding
(knowledge) of a unit.
Simulation
Assessing a learner in an environment or situation similar to the real one.
Product Sample
Checking the end result / product of learner work
Testimony
Asking a third party to comment on learner performance.
All assessors have been provided with a training manual to assist them in carrying
out all training.
We started with seventeen (17) learners, which were drawn from the Front Office,
Housekeeping, Kitchen and Food & Beverage Departments.
In June 2009, nine of our candidates wrote the certificate level out of which eight had
distinction and one had merit. Four candidates who were unable to complete their
units wrote the exams in November 2009. Two of them had distinction and two had
merit.
In June 2010 nine of our candidates wrote the exams in
Accommodation services, F&B Services, Front Office Operations
and Cookery and they are keenly awaiting results.
I must conclude by emphasising that Labadi Beach Hotel’s decision
to introduce the City and Guilds course has brought tremendous
motivation to most of our employees and have encouraged them to
strive higher to acquire a recognised academic qualification whilst
maintaining their regular employment. The hotel has also benefited
as its market share has increased through improved services to our
clients.
I will therefore implore other stakeholders in the industry to join
hands with us to continue improving the skills of our employees for a
better Ghana.