Introduction

Curaçao Hospitality Training Foundation: working and learning in the hospitality and tourism sector.

The Curacao Hospitality Association has taken the initiative to establish a Curacao Hospitality Training Foundation (CHTF) to initiate and coordinate training programs for the hospitality and tourism sector in Curacao .

At present Curacao is confronted with a youth unemployment rate of 44 % (some 2.500 youngsters between 16 and 24 years of age). At the same time, the sector expects to add some 2.500 rooms to the room stock in Curacao and requires some 2.500 additional workers in the coming 5 years.

80 % or 2.000 of the expected vacancies are at entry level (assistant level) and SBO level (associate de gree of part of).

CHTF intends to act as a liaison between the de mand and supply of labor in the hospitality and tourism sector. Thereto CHTF will translate the present and future needs of the private sector in terms of the quality and quantity of employees and staff at different (vocational) levels and in required training programs.

Furthermore CHTF will advise the de partment of education and other training entities on a short and long term strategy to ensure that the education and training of qualified employees gets the highest priority.

CHTF strongly believes in the human resource potential on Curacao and the possibility to train and educate our young people for a career in the hospitality sector.

CHTF is to provide our youngsters the opportunity to work and learn in the hospitality and tourism industry and receive international recognition (certification) during the process.
 

Curacao Youth Apprenticeship Program: 100 apprentices per year.

The first project of CHTF will be the introduction and execution of the so-called Curacao Youth Apprenticeship Program (CYAP) as of August 1, 2006. CYAP provi de s unemployed young people with the start of a career in the hospitality industry through a training program on the job for the total duration of 4 years.

CHTF will start with 6 different apprenticeship programs with a total of 60 apprentices: dive master, front office, waiter/waitress, barten de r, facility employee and culinary cook.

Since April 2006 the project manager of CHTF Hetty van den Ouweelen has been in close contact with organizations like the Social Forming Program, the Parole Board of Curacao, the SBO Horeca schools and with bario representatives to select and place potential apprentices.

The potential apprentices are very motivated, some of them dream of the opportunity to work at an international hotel, in an upscale restaurant or in a dive operation. That dream is to become reality. During the apprenticeship program they will be coached intensively by job coaches to make sure they adapt and stay “on the job”.

 

CHTF

Purpose of CHTF

 

Upgrade training program for the Hospitality sector:

At the same time CHTF will start an extensive upgrade program for those already working in the hospitality and tourism industry: train the trainer programs, technical skills programs for cooks, barten de rs and waiters, and specialty workshops (coaching, hygiene, pastry, supervision, customer service training and mystery guest). Eventually CHTF has the potential to place 400 apprentices per year in the hospitaility and tourism sector.

In addition CHTF is working on a proposal for the construction of a complete hotel and restaurant training facility to be used by the 6 hospitality schools on the island. For 2007 CHTF and SAE ( Servisio Asuntunan di Ensenañsa ) are planning the start of a hospitality teachers upgrade program.

The clear message is: Curacao has to double or triple the number of present graduates in hospitality and tourism at all levels to have Antilleans filling up the vacancies in the hospitality and tourism sector for now and the future.

"SEI Project Horeca Training Werkzoekenden' is a Social Economic Initiative (SEI) Project
 that has been initiated for training of the unemployed in the tourism sector.
The project partners are CHATA, Curacao Tourist Board and the Government Service for Work and Income (DWI). Goal of this project is to develop apprenticeship programs to educate, train and prepare the unemployed workforce to work in the flourishing tourism economy of Curacao. This way the tourism labor market on the island can be reinforced with more than three hundred capable local employees for the next three years. 
CHTF is the executive organization in charge of implementing this SEI project.
Since March 2009 Erica Wever is working as project coordinator and is in charge of executing the goals set by the partners of this project.

Contact info:
--
Erica Wever - Project Coördinator

Curacao Hospitality Training Foundation
SEI Horecatrainingen Werkzoekenden
telno : +5999-465 1005 
fax: +05999-465 1052
email : chtf@chata.org