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The cooperation between training institutions and businesses is a solution for vocational training during the impact of the pandemic
More time for guidance
To well adapt to the impact of the pandemic, as many other institutions, tourism schools are actively carrying out the digital conversion for online training. However, with subjects inclining on practicing, vocational skills such as reception, housekeeping, and restaurants, learning online is impossible.
In order to ensure the time of the academic year, as well as the vocational skills, the schools have been proactive in cooperating with tourism businesses in the area of Hue city to hold short-term practical training courses for students.
Looking from the outside, it will be not unintelligible if someone claims that in the current period when tourism sector welcomes not too many tourists, this such short-term practice courses can ensure the quality and vocational skills for students.
Mrs. Chau Thi Hoang Mai, Director of Alba Spa and Alba Hotel said that, previously, the hotel just allowed a small group of students to come for their probation. The positive thing was that students could get the chance to contact customers, while the negative was that as hotel staff both serviced customers and guided students, the students in their probation period had to be proactive in observing and learning by themselves; some facilities and areas were the priorities for customers so students had yet been accessed.
At present, since the number of guests coming to the hotel is still sparse, it’s possible to receive a bigger group of students. With the availability of time and facilities, the hotel will have much more time to carefully guide students; as then, the ability to access services is also higher than before.
Students from the Hue University of Tourism and Hospitality practicing receptionist skills at the hotel
Mrs. Nguyen Hoang Thuy Vy, CEO of Muong Thanh Hue Hotel informed that, due to the shortage of customers, students took turns playing the role of staff and customers to address the assumed situations posed by the trainers. The trainers spent their entire time for observation, training, fixing mistakes, and adjusting, and students can practice each skill in turn.
Nguyen Ngo Hoang Long, a student from the Hue University of Tourism and Hospitality shared that due to having time, the trainers were very careful in guiding each movement, gesture, expression, and communication ways, etc. We also got a chance to work directly with Smile management software (the specialized software for the reception), fully design a final service product, etc. After the course, students have basically mastered the trained professional skills.
Ensuring quality
According to Assoc. Dr. Tran Huu Tuan, Rector of the University of Tourism and Hospitality, Hue university, the school has about 1.000 students doing probation every year. Due to the pandemic, the school was proactive in cooperating with hotels in the area of Hue city. After a short time, with effective collaboration, the school has trained 500 students with permanent residence in Hue. With the remaining amount of 50% of students living in other provinces, the school will organize the probation session for them right after they can come back to Hue.
As the school does not have its facilities for practicing yet, this cooperation is affirmed to be a temporary but effective solution. Usually, the probations and the courses of visiting somewhere for practice of the students from tourism schools in the provincial area are “covered” in most of the hotels in the province and localities with developed tourism in the region.
This year, the places for probation are in the hotel in the city area. It helps to save money for students. On the contrary, welcoming students for probation has created an animated atmosphere and brought a part of the budget to pay for hotel operation, even if it is not too much.
Returning to the question of training quality, Mrs. Chau Thi Hoang Mai assessed that the businesses have found it to be a good and appropriate way for accessing human resources training. The businesses have much time to be with the students. Hence, they will actively evaluate and “have their eyes” on some potential students to add to their source of human resources data and promptly supplement when they are in need of personnel.
Recently, it is predicted to witness a serious shortage in human resource when Hue tourism is adapting to the new normal. Therefore, improvising in personnel training but still meeting the need of skills and businesses’ demand is a way that training institutions and businesses need to carry out the closer cooperation to overcome these difficulties together. More importantly, it helps Hue tourism build up and create the necessary labor resources for the new period. This is also a solution to grow up passion and enthusiasm for the “smokeless” industry for the young generation of labors.
Story and photos: Duc Quang