Hato – The Aruba Timeshare Association (ATSA), recently embarked on a project involving EPB Hato and EPB San Nicolaas, the island’s Basic Vocational schools.
The Association hosted EPB’s freshmen students at twelve of Aruba’s timeshare Resorts for the day, offering an informative half-day of orientation, and interactive fun. In total, approximately 250 students and their mentors spent the time taking a close look at the workings of the hotel industry, by physically touring all hotel departments.
ATSA President and hotelier Andy Osbourne explains that ATSA’s intentions was to secure placements for the students, as many of them are currently doing their internships at the hotels, and will then go on to be fully employed post-graduation. This positive collaboration between the vocational schools and the future employers is viewed by ATSA as a positive and desired partnership.
The Association also wished to showcase various aspects of the local hotel industry sharing various career paths available and types of jobs that can be pursued in the industry, ranging from Food to Beverage, Administration, Secretarial positions, Maintenance, Security, Landscaping, Housekeeping, Front Desk, Sales, and IT, just to name a few!
Hospitality, the dynamic, people-oriented industry, the main economic pillar of this island, allows many successful young people to pursue excellent careers and to serve as role models for the next generation.
In inviting the students, ATSA was also interested in creating a constant, qualified workforce, preparing the next wave of managers, for their role as future leaders. The challenges of qualified labor recruitment is well publicized here, Osbourne states, therefore, exposing the industry to interested students at a formative age serves to create more openings for future employment. In view of the fact that there was much discussion lately with regards to creative implementation of labor market adjustments, schools should become more in tune with the needs of the work community and ATSA feels very strongly that flexibility in the labor laws would create additional opportunities for these youngsters, jump starting their careers, now.
Based on the overall experience gained from this first effort, future events will surely be planned.