September 2007issue #006

Giving teachers a better understanding of tourism

Tourism is one of the main pillars of the Maltese economy, which is why the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) is stepping up its efforts to increase schoolchildren’s understanding of the importance of tourism and the career opportunities that the industry has to offer.

Creating a positive level of awareness among children was one of the reasons behind the Tourism In-service Programme for teachers, which was recently organised once again by the Industry HR Development Unit within the MTA, in collaboration with the Department of Curriculum Management, Education Division, to complement the CHOICE Programme in secondary schools. “Teachers play a pivotal role in the career decisions of their students and so it is very important both for the students and for the advancement of the industry itself that teachers have a good understanding of the sector,” said Joseph Tanti, Head of HR Development, MTA.

Teachers from various schools attended this three-day programme. The course aims at providing teachers with a good understanding about the Industry and the sectors within it; knowledge about emerging trends, which require different professional and personal skills; and presenting a clearer idea about the role that they should play in guiding students towards the tourism industry.

The varied programme incorporated a visit to a leading five-star hotel, as well as presentations by stakeholders in the industry including Mr George Schembri and Dr Hugh Peralta from MHRA; Ms Rosetta Thornhill and Mr Adrian Mamo from ITS, and Mr David Vella, a Training professional within the industry. A series of workshops were also organised to address a number of important educational issues.

The first workshop dealt with the development of a Career Awareness DVD and suggestions were made on how the DVD could be informative and appealing to students. The possibility of industrial placements in tourism for secondary school students was discussed in the second workshop, where the idea of an optional ‘summer camp’ in tourism establishments emerged.

Tourism in the National Curriculum was the topic of the third workshop and the participants highlighted the importance of general basic education being supported by specific tourism education.

Ms Audrey Schembri, a teacher at De La Salle College, felt that “the programme gave me a good insight into the tourism industry and gave me the opportunity to discuss the possibility of making secondary schooling more relevant to the place of work,” while for Ms Fiona Bonnici, from St. Joseph School Blata l-Bajda, “the fact that we actually visited a hotel and that people from the industry came to speak to us was highly beneficial,.” Ms Wilma Vancell – who teaches at Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary Naxxar – concluded that, “I feel that I now have a clearer picture of the tourism courses offered and most importantly that I can give my students a clearer picture too.”

The MTA’s Industry HR Development Unit is responsible for the development of human resources in the tourism industry. The promotion of careers within secondary schools is one of the principal objectives of this Unit.

For more information on the programme, please contact the MTA’s Industry HR Development Unit

Telephone:
: +356 22 915 122 / 4
E-mail:
: choice@visitmalta.com

This issue is available at: 0708.