57 department trainers and 18 coordinators from 15 hotels located in greater Tunis and Hammamet were gathered on November 18, 22, and 23 to enhance their industry-based qualifications and advance in their professional careers. The program will be extended to hotels in the Center and the South of Tunisia in February 2023. The program aims to train 2500 employees by the end of 2023 in order to improve the quality of hotel services in Tunisia.
Empowering hotels staff in greater Tunis and Hammamet to enhance qualifications
As the tourism sector recovers from COVID-19 pandemic and destinations return to business, there is a growing need for more qualified staff in hotels in Tunisia. While upgrading skills is a must to provide high-quality tourism experiences that meet the standards of excellence and quality in the hotel sector, hotels are struggling and experiencing a shortage of trained personnel from academic or training institutions. Finding alternative solutions is more crucial than ever to the tourism sector in the country. The Pathways to Professionalism program aspires to provide alternative solutions to overcome these challenges.
“Finding the right competent and qualified profiles is one of our greatest challenges. Pathways to Professionalism is a great opportunity to learn from an American expert, enhance skills and access tools and knowledge which will help improve the quality of our service and facilitate the implementation of the required quality standards. The trainer was exceptional.”
— Racha Fadhlaoui, Quality Manager at the Mouradi Africa hotel.
— Racha Fadhlaoui, Quality Manager at the Mouradi Africa hotel.
Pathways to Professionalism is a program designed for hotels in Tunisia and provides work-based training with an innovative approach for professionals in the hospitality sector. It aims to improve the quality of hotel services and employability in Tunisia by training 2,500 professionals by the end of 2023, including youth and women. Pathways to Professionalism is implemented by USAID Visit Tunisia Activity in cooperation with the Agence de Formation dans les Métiers du Tourisme (AFMT) and the Fédération Tunisienne de l'Hôtellerie (FTH).
November 2022 marked the first implementation of the Pathways to Professionalism program in Tunis. Were trained and certified:
- 18 managers from human resources, learning and development services of 15 hotels located in greater Tunis and Hammamet on November 18. They are responsible for implementing the program in their hotels and will act as “Coordinators” between several stakeholders: “Department Trainers”, the hotel’s General Manager, and USAID Visit Tunisia.
- 57 employees from the Housekeeping, Food and Beverage, and Food Production departments on November 22 and 23. They will act as "Department Trainers", taking the training forward and teaching staff in their departments to improve the quality of services in hotels in Tunisia.
“We will soon have several hotel openings, the most imminent is the Residence Douz. This training will help us recruit the profiles we are looking for in the Housekeeping, Food and Beverage, and Food Production departments for the upcoming openings.” — Henda Saidi, HR Manager at the Residence Gammarth hotel.
PHOTO: © HADHAMI YAHIA / USAIDThe certified Pathways to Professionalism Coordinators are managers from the following hotels: Movenpick Gammarth , Movenpick Lac 1, Novotel Lac 1, El Mouradi Africa, El Mouradi Gammarth, Belvedere Fourati, Barcelo Occidental Lac 1, Barcelo Concorde Lac 1, Novotel Tunis, Ibis Tunis ,Dar El Marsa, The Residence Tunis,Golden Tulip Taj Sultan, Le Corail, and the Sindbad; and from the Agence de la Formation dans les Métiers du Tourisme (AFMT).
“Even if we do not all face the same challenges and are not subject to the same industry standards, this is a great opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and assess to what extent we are in line with international standards. I appreciate the fact that usually undervalued jobs such as housekeeping are put in the spotlight. The certification ceremony is a great idea and values these small and yet key professions in the hotel industry.”
— Walid Melliti, HR Manager at the Novotel and Ibis Tunis.
— Walid Melliti, HR Manager at the Novotel and Ibis Tunis.
“I want to motivate our collaborators and staff. By getting a certificate at the end of the training, they will feel valued. This is as important as improving skills. This training benefits both employer and employee.”
— Olfa Meddeb, Human Resources Manager at the Mövenpick Gammarth hotel.
— Olfa Meddeb, Human Resources Manager at the Mövenpick Gammarth hotel.
“The demonstrations added a practical aspect to the training and helped us better understand the best methods to incorporate into our work. In my profession (housekeeping) for instance, we learn how to make the bed, how to clean the bathroom, and how to make the whole room guest-ready for the best visitor experience possible.”
— Wided Saâdaoui, General Housekeeper, Novotel Tunis Mohamed V
— Wided Saâdaoui, General Housekeeper, Novotel Tunis Mohamed V
The program focused on three key professions in the hotel industry: housekeeping, catering, and food production. Through an innovative and progressive training approach, learners benefited from work-based training and certification that will enable them to improve their skills and advance in their professional careers. Thanks to the program’s manuals and modules, the “Department Trainers” will train semi-qualified and qualified staff in these services to ensure they acquire international standards-based knowledge, skills and behaviors.
“We are emerging leaders and trainers in our departments. Thanks to this workshop, we will train efficiently our staff and apprentices so that everyone shares a common vision about tourism.”
— Belabed Nawfel, Bar Manager, hôtel Mövenpick du Lac Tunis
— Belabed Nawfel, Bar Manager, hôtel Mövenpick du Lac Tunis
What’s next in early 2023?
33 hotels from Hammamet, Monastir, Sousse, Mahdia, Sfax and Tozeur will participate in Pathways to Professionalism in 2023. Over 120 “Coordinators” and “Department Trainers” of these hotels will be trained in two cohorts, in Sousse (February 1-17) and Sfax (February 21-23).
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