INVESTING IN CAPACITY BUILDING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CONTENT: 1.Tourism and skills development 2.Training philosophy 3.Aims and objectives of training 4.Principles of effective training 5.Benefits of effective training 6.A few negative effect of training 7.The Labadi Beach Hotel experience 8.The assessments method

WHAT IS CAPACITY BUILDIING Capacity building is often referred to as the assistance that is provided to entities or individuals who have a need to develop a certain skill or competence for general upgrading of performance ability.

Tourism and Skills Development The Tourism Industry in Ghana is concerned about the progress, which is being made in the development of relevant and usable skills for the future. The Current educational programmes in Ghana are not sufficiently aligned to industry needs and the industry is not involved enough in curriculum development and in providing structured and meaningful on-the-job practical exposure. There is the need for the private sector to be much more involved in all issues relating to skills training and capacity building, and to volunteer both time and expertise to government structures to get this right.

Training Philosophy According to Armstrong (1999) there are three broad approaches to training opened to organisations. Some adopt a lassie-faire approach, believing that employees will find out what to do for themselves or through others. (E.g. If skill shortages were to be encountered, they would rectify the situation by poaching staff from other organisations that invest in training). Secondly other organisations may invest in training in good times, but in bad times their training budgets are the first to suffer. Thirdly organisations that adopt a positive training philosophy do so because they are convinced that they live in a world where competitive advantage is achieved by having higher quality individuals than their competitors. This goal cannot be achieved if organisations do not invest in developing the skills and competencies of their employees. It is important for employees whos skills are being developed to also realise that organisations are showing an act of faith by creating opportunities for further education and enhancement of their skills. This is the proactive approach rather than reactive approach designating training as a continuous and on-going process within the company.

Aims and Objectives of Training Armstrong (1999) states that the fundamental aim of training is to help organisations achieve their purpose by adding to their key resources i.e. the people they employ. Investing in training means that employees will be able to perform better and empower themselves to make use of their natural abilities. The main objectives of training are to: a. Develop competencies of employees to improve their performance. b. Help people to grow within the organisation in order that as far as possible, its future human resources can be met from within. c. Reduce the learning time for employees starting in new jobs on appointment, transfer, or promotion, and ensure that they become fully competent as quickly and economically as possible.

Principles of Effective Training For a company to design an effective training programme the following principles should be known and understood: i.Training can only be successful if it is recognised that learning is a voluntary process that individuals must be keen to learn and consequently they must be properly motivated. ii. Learning is hindered by feelings of nervousness, fear, inferiority, and by lack of confidence. iii. Instruction must be given in short frequent sessions rather than a few long lectures. v. Training must be participatory, involve participants in all aspect of the training schedule. vii. Trainees need clear targets and progress to be checked frequently. viii. Confidence has to be built up by praise, not broken down by reprimand so as to make learning rewarding.

Benefits of Effective Training The principles of effective training dictate that training needs must be tailored to suit individual needs. If these principles are followed and understood the following benefits could be obtained: 1.Minimise learning costs. 2. Improve individual, team and corporate performance in terms of output, quality, speed and overall productivity. 3. Attract high quality employees by offering them learning and development opportunities, increasing their levels of competence and enhancing their skills thus enabling them to obtain more job satisfaction to gain higher rewards and to progress within the organisation. 4. Increase the commitment of employees by encouraging them to identify with the mission and objectives of the organisation. 5. Provide higher levels of service to customers.

A few negative effect of training It would be idealistic to assume that everything is positive for organisations that invest in training programmes for their employees. They can fall prey to other organisations that have no training policy and depend on poaching. As a direct result of a no training policy the latter can offer attractive remuneration to poach staff resulting in high staff training costs. The reason some companies are able to entice staff away may be due to the fact that many employed within the Hospitality industry are very employable because they are multi-skilled which means that they are qualified for a number of positions. (E.g. some Hotels employ workers who will be able to work within food & beverage and accommodation departments etc). It must also be remembered that absence of employees from the workplace while on training can adversely affect productivity levels in the short term. In an ideal situation, it would be appropriate that every organisation develop a program to regularly train their staff. However many organisations will still depend on poaching the quality staff from other competitors. This should not stop the training and development of employees because there are still some benefits to be derived from training their employees. A better remuneration could be used as a form of retention system to maintain the trained employees. Finally, it is important to note that a holistic approach to employees training and skill development in the tourism industry could serve as a side attraction to lure investors into the country to make use of the skills, which will be readily available.

THE LABADI BEACH HOTEL EXPERIENCE In line with our vision of investing in staff training, skills development and capacity building,, Legacy Hotels in South Africa the management company for Labadi Beach Hotel introduced the City and Guilds course. This course was introduced to give formal education to our employees who have gained the practical knowledge of the job but with a little or no formal education. We obtained accreditation from the City and Guilds office in UK through their local representative to enable our candidates (staff) write the examinations in Accommodation services, F&B Services, Front Office Operations and Cookery. These exams are written in June and November of every year on our premises. The Hotel has engaged the services of a consultant from South Africa who have trained and mentored seven of our Heads of Department and three supervisors as facilitators to assess candidates from their respective departments. The Human Resource manager has also been trained, as internal verifier to monitor the progress of both candidates and assessors. She also serves as the link between the Hotel and the City and Guilds Office, in addition to being the examination secretary. The City and Guilds Qualifications has seven levels: Level 1 - Certificate Level 2- Diploma Level 3 - Advanced Diploma Level 4- Advanced Technician Diploma Level 5- Graduateship Associateship Level 6- Membership Level 7- Fellowship Currently, we are offering courses in the first three levels.

The following are the Assessments methods: Observation Physically watching a learner perform a task. Questioning Asking questions relating to work performance, range of situations and understanding (knowledge) of a unit. Simulation Assessing a learner in an environment or situation similar to the real one. Product Sample Checking the end result / product of learner work Testimony Asking a third party to comment on learner performance. All assessors have been provided with a training manual to assist them in carrying out all training. We started with seventeen (17) learners, which were drawn from the Front Office, Housekeeping, Kitchen and Food & Beverage Departments. In June 2009, nine of our candidates wrote the certificate level out of which eight had distinction and one had merit. Four candidates who were unable to complete their units wrote the exams in November Two of them had distinction and two had merit.

In June 2010 nine of our candidates wrote the exams in Accommodation services, F&B Services, Front Office Operations and Cookery and they are keenly awaiting results. I must conclude by emphasising that Labadi Beach Hotels decision to introduce the City and Guilds course has brought tremendous motivation to most of our employees and have encouraged them to strive higher to acquire a recognised academic qualification whilst maintaining their regular employment. The hotel has also benefited as its market share has increased through improved services to our clients. I will therefore implore other stakeholders in the industry to join hands with us to continue improving the skills of our employees for a better Ghana.