ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

Awardees with their AH&LEI certificate and lapel pin, along with Dr. Rev. Olson Daniel, Pastor, Sweets Wesleyan Holiness Church, Mrs. Cynthia G Simon, Manager, Tourism Education, Training and Awareness and Mr. Corthwright Marshall, Director of Policy and Planning , Ministry of Tourism.

On Wednesday, June 8^th, 2011 the Ministry of Tourism hosted a Celebration Ceremony at the Catamaran Hotel to applaud and celebrate the success of 16 Guest Room Attendants who now join the ranks of certified hospitality industry employees in Antigua and Barbuda.   
Having been through the Hospitality Skills Certification Training Programme which took the form of  a written exam and an on-the job assessment process, the employees earned the designation – Certified Guest Room Attendants - conferred by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AH&LEI).

The ceremony commenced with a prayer by Dr. Rev. Olson Daniel, Pastor, Swetes Wesleyan Holiness Church, followed by welcome remarks from Mrs. Cynthia G Simon, Manager, Tourism Education, Training and Awareness.   
Mrs. Simon, who is also Coordinator of the Tourism Training and Certification Project, extended heartiest congratulations to all the tourism employees whose success the event celebrated.   Thanks was also extended to the management of the ten (10) participating hotels for partnering with the Ministry and the Organisation of American States (OAS) in the project and for providing their employees with the opportunity for further training and development. Congratulatory messages were given by Corthwright Marshall, Director of Policy and Planning, Ministry of Tourism , he also read on behalf of Louise John the Facilitator for the training programme.

Mr. Jean Ricot Dormeus, Representative of the OAS also addressed the awardees and expressed his delight for being a part of the programme. He highlighted Antigua & Barbuda’s successful implementation of the project to date, with over 200 hospitality employees benefiting, and scores gaining internationally recognised certification. 
He urged the awardees recognise that they have just begun another stage on their professional journey.   Mr. Dormeus confirmed that for the OAS “this recognition ceremony testifies that the seed of cooperation for development can blossom in practical knowledge, better service, and specialists in the areas of creating lasting impressions and promoting a quality tourism industry in Antigua and Barbuda.”

A score of 75% or more on the test and assessment process confirmed the employee’s competence, knowledge and skills, in their area of operation.   Vonda Isaacs of Verandah Resort & Spa and Lionel Walker of Lamblion Holiday Apartments received additional recognition for their outstanding performance, both gaining a score of 93%. .  
One of the highlights of the ceremony was the actual presentation of the AH&LEI certificate and lapel pin to each of the successful employees. The designation earned is recognised worldwide.

The HSC training programme for the Guest Room Attendants form part of the training activities under the Capacity Building: Tourism Training and Certification Project (2008-2011). The project is sponsored by the Organization of American States with counterpart financing from the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture.   

Now in its third and final year, the project has benefited a wide cross section of persons in the hospitality and tourism industry to include hotel owners and managers and employees in such areas as food and beverage, front office, housekeeping and training and development.