|
Choosing
a Career in the
Tourism
and Hospitality
Industry
By
Helen C.
Broadus
 Many
more African-Americans
are finding rewarding
career opportunities in
the tourism and
hospitality industry,
which is the world's
largest employer. An
estimated 255 million
people worldwide are
employed directly or
indirectly in travel,
tourism and
hospitality-related jobs
and the industry is
expected to create 144
million more jobs by the
year 2005. These
increasing numbers mean
increasing employment
opportunities for people
in general and for
minorities in
particular, since
minorities are the
fastest growing segment
of the U.S. population
and workforce.
Surprisingly, a large
number of
African-American
professionals are
finding the tourism and
hospitality industry to
be a viable employment
alternative that offers
a wide variety of career
options and advancement
potential.
(People
with diverse backgrounds
and training can find
meaningful employment
and productive careers
in the tourism and
hospitality industry.
There are opportunities
that exist at the
convention and visitors
bureaus, at individual
accommodations or with
hotel management.
Individuals can also
find a variety of
positions at local
attractions with travel
agencies and mass
travel/transportation
companies, like airlines
and passenger bus
companies. In fact, some
of the most overlooked
possibilities are
professional meeting
planners, group tour
planners and event
coordinators who often
work with a specific
targeted audience.
Sports tourism is also
an emerging career
option to
consider.
Although
some believe there is a
huge number of
African-Americans in the
tourism and hospitality
industry, this is far
from being true.
Unfortunately, there is
not a major influx of
minorities into the
industry. Most people
still perceive the
industry as either
manual labor positions
or low-paying desk clerk
jobs, but the tourism
and hospitality industry
is a growing industry
where typically
promotion comes quickly
for those who are
focused and looking to
excel. Many national and
international
corporations in the
tourism and hospitality
industry are also eager
to recruit and train
African-Americans for
positions in management.
The bottom line being
that there are a wealth
of opportunities
available.
Over
the past few decades
there have been
slow-to-moderate changes
in the tourism and
hospitality industry for
African-Americans. In
the past, the perception
was that to work in this
industry, you had to
start at the bottom of
the totem pole working
in housekeeping or
kitchen services. Now
that more colleges are
offering hospitality as
a major, more students
are becoming interested
as well as educated in
this field of
employment.continued
below)
 Talent
Search:
Below
is a brief capsule of a
talented young lady we
met on our most recent
trip to East
Africa.
Angela
Tenga is a 24 -year
old Tanzanian. Single.
Has a Bachelor of
Commerce in Marketing
and Accounting at Mysore
University in India. She
would like to work in:
Canada, Australia,
Switzerland and other
countries in Europe,
also in Africa . If you
are interested in
contacting her for
possible employment,
please contact our
Careers Dept. at
airhwy@dowco.com.
Her
personal E-mail is:
angeltenga@yahoo.com
Global
Practice for
Aviation/Aerospace/Defense
and Related
Technologies
 PHILADELPHIA:
Right Management
Consultants, Inc.
(NASDAQ: RMCI), a global
consulting firm
specializing in career
transition and
organizational
consulting services,
announced today the
introduction of the
company's industrial
practice for Aviation,
Aerospace, Defense and
Related Technologies.
The practice affords
specialized focus and
delivery of services
across Rights offices
worldwide.
"The
development of practices
that focus on specific
industries is a direct
by- product of
client-driven needs,"
stated John P.
Schreitmueller,
Corporate Senior Vice
President of Strategic
Business Development and
Practice Leader for the
firm's aviation,
aerospace and defense
initiatives. In an
interview yesterday, Mr.
Schreitmueller further
indicated that "deep
knowledge of cultures,
business requirements
and talent management in
these sectors affords
our clients not only a
significant savings in
time as we approach
meeting their specific
needs, it also serves as
a bridge for Right to
establish long-lasting
business partnerships
with organizations in
the aviation, aerospace
and defense
communities."
Specialization
in specific industries
is a methodology new to
the traditional career
transition/consulting
community. "As Right has
dramatically expanded
its resources to serve
clients across multiple
geographers, the firm is
expanding in parallel
its abilities to
concentrate on
customized solutions of
exceptional quality for
clients whose needs
require a comprehensive
grasp on how talent
moves into, within, and
out of organizations in
particular industrial
sectors," said Mr.
Schreitmueller. He
further stated the firm
has plans to introduce
additional industrial
practices over the next
year.
Headquartered
in Philadelphia, Right
Management Consultants
offers services to
corporations and
organizations of all
sizes through a global
network of more than 300
service locations and
the Internet. The
company is a worldwide
leader in customized
career transition
solutions and also
offers a wide range of
organizational
consulting services,
including organizational
performance, leadership
development and talent
management services. In
combination, the two
lines of business enable
Right to help businesses
manage the entire life
cycle of their
employees.
Contact:
JOHN P.
SCHREITMUELLER
(404)
504-5000
Aviation
& Electronic Schools
of
America
Continued
from above
AESA's
accredited courses
include FAA Airframe
& Powerplant, FAA
Inspection
Authorization, FAA
Inspection Authorization
Renewal, FCC General
Radiotelephone
Operator's License, FCC
Radar Endorsement, FCC
GNDSS Radio Maintainer's
and Operator's Licenses,
Fiber Optics (Basic or
Advanced), Computer
Building and
Configuring, Computer
Service Technician, and
Microsoft Certified
Systems Engineer
courses. AESA is the
first educational
institute in the world
to be certified for all
of the above
courses.
AESA has been working
diligently to gain
various approvals and
accreditation that would
serve the requirements
of their student body.
Recently they have been
granted California State
Approval (in addition to
their registered
status), and are now a
Microsoft Certified
Technical Education
Center (CTEC). The newly
granted COE
accreditation is
complimentary to AESA's
standing.
PO BOX 1810 * 210 s.
Railroad Street *
Colfax, Ca 95713
530 - 346-6792* Fax
(530) 346-8466
E-mail aesa@aesa.com -
Internet
http://www.aesa.com
Our
CAREERS SECTION
welcomes items from
North America and
beyond. Please send your
listings of employment
opportunities,
partnerships, exchanges,
apprenticeships and
training services by
E-
MAIL.
Aviation
Industry Careers
http://www.aviationcareer.net
Aviation
& Electronic Schools
of America earns
National
accreditation
Colfax, Calif:
Aviation &
Electronic Schools of
America announced today
that they have been
accepted by the Council
on Occupational
Education as a
nationally accredited
educational program. As
a result, all of AESA
programs are now
accredited and most can
be used to earn college
credit. AESA's
accredited courses
include FAA Airframe
& Powerplant, FAA
Inspection
Authorization, FAA
Inspection Authorization
Renewal, FCC General
Radiotelephone
Operator's License, FCC
Radar Endorsement, FCC
GNDSS Radio Maintainer's
and Operator's Licenses,
Fiber Optics (Basic or
Advanced), Computer
Building and
Configuring, Computer
Service Technician, and
Microsoft Certified
Systems Engineer
courses. AESA is the
first educational
institute in the world
to be certified for all
of the above
courses.
AESA has been working
diligently to gain
various approvals and
accreditation that would
serve the requirements
of their student body.
Recently they have been
granted California State
Approval (in addition to
their registered
status), and are now a
Microsoft Certified
Technical Education
Center (CTEC). The newly
granted COE
accreditation is
complimentary to AESA's
standing.
PO BOX 1810 * 210 s.
Railroad Street *
Colfax, Ca 95713
530 - 346-6792* Fax
(530) 346-8466
E-mail aesa@aesa.com -
Internet
http://www.aesa.com
Opportunities
for the older
persons
in British Columbia's
Lower Mainland / Greater
Vancouver area.
Employment Net
515.8221
Canadian
Council for Human
Resources
in the
Environment
CCHREI
was established in 1993
as a nonprofit
organization to assist
the environment industry
in developing and
implementing a national
human resource strategy.
We understand that the
environment industry
faces particular
challenges in the human
resources field. Created
to assist with those
challenges, we at CCHREI
believe that our
programs would interest
your readers/members.
CCHREI is continuously
developing new programs
(a brief description of
each program is included
below) to provide the
environment industry
with effective HR
solutions. CCHREI is
currently concentrating
on the recruitment and
retention issues facing
environment sectors, the
certification
of environmental
practitioners, and
helping young Canadians
enter the environmental
labor market.
Environmental
Recruitment Retention
Learning Project
(ERRL) CCHREI's latest
venture concentrates on
resolving the
recruitment and
retention issues that
confront the environment
industry. ERRL offers
companies the
opportunity to increase
their current employees'
productivity by
identifying and closing
their potential skill
gaps. Using CCHREI's
national occupational
standards as a
foundation, ERRL creates
skill profiles to
determine specific areas
where environmental
practitioners would
benefit from
professional development
and training
opportunities. The
program emphasizes the
mutually beneficial
practice of employers
and employees working
together to focus on
life long learning and
skills
development.
Canadian
Environmental
Certification Approvals
Board (CECAB)
Established by CCHREI,
CECAB offers a national,
voluntary certification
program for
environmental
practitioners. CECAB
certification provides
formal recognition of an
environmental
practitioner's skills,
knowledge and
experience. In operation
since August 2000, over
110 applicants are in
the process of
completing their on-line
certification process.
Certification is based
on a practitioner's
ability to do certain
environmental work
activities, demonstrate
experience, and have
their level of
competence validated by
peers. To further
accommodate its members,
CECAB is also adding a
list of conferences to
its web site. If you are
aware of any upcoming
conferences that would
be useful to members
please inform us. In
implementing this
program, CECAB is
providing an essential
tool to develop the
highly skilled workforce
Canada needs to compete
in the global market.
For more information
please consult CECAB's
website at www.cecab.org
or contact Patricia
Miller at
registrar@cchrei.ca.
EnviroCareers
With the development
of a new line of career
information products,
CCHREI has turned its
attention to educating
young Canadians about
environmental career
opportunities.
EnviroCareers is an
interactive resource
package designed as a
tool for youth
interested in
environmental employment
and will
be
distributed to secondary
schools, libraries, and
career centers
nationwide later this
spring. With the
creation of the
EnviroCareers package,
where personality
traits, interests and
skills, and education
are all taken into
account, users are given
a realistic and
comprehensive overview
of their career options.
Consisting of a CD-ROM,
video, guidebooks for
facilitators and youth,
and tabloid, the package
is intended to be
interactive, interesting
and, ultimately,
informative for young
people assessing their
career
options.
EnviroJob
Board
With almost 1
million hits a month,
CCHREI's EnviroJob Board
has become the ideal
recruiting tool for
environmental employers.
The EnviroJob Board
allows employers to post
their organization's job
opportunities free of
charge and utilize
CCHREI's employment
resources at the HR
Center. They will soon
be able to review over
5000 candidates in our
Resume Bank with a
unique job-matching
tool. Job seekers also
benefit from the
EnviroJob Board, by
simply filling out a
one-page form they can
submit their resumes
online, review company
profiles, and have the
latest career
information at their
disposal in the Career
Center. The EnviroJob
Board is continuously
improving to meet the
growing needs of
employers and job
seekers alike
Environmental
Youth Corp. (EYC)
The EYC is designed
for assist recent post
secondary graduates with
the difficult school to
work transition. The
program consists of a
wage subsidy incentive
(ranging from $8,000 to
$12,000) given to
Canadian environmental
employers for hiring
young professionals.
Organizations that
participate in the
project benefit from
having hundreds of
prescreened, work ready,
promising young
professionals. In
operation since 1997,
over 1,100 individuals
have taken advantage of
the Environmental Youth
Corp. and are helping to
substantially raise
capacity in Canada's
environmental
sector.
In
the coming months, I
will be providing you
with articles and
information updating you
on the progress of our
programs. If you would
prefer not to receive
information please let
me know and I will
remove your name from
our mailing list. As I
am also in the process
of updating our
publication database, it
would be greatly
appreciated if you could
send me your
publication's name, type
of publication (journal,
newsletter, e-zine), how
it is distributed (i.e.
mail, email), how often
it is distributed
(annually, quarterly),
and an alternate contact
name and
email.
Allison
Cook
Communications and
Marketing
The Canadian Council for
Human Resources
in the Environment
Industry
Suite 1450, 700 - 4th
Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P
3J4
Ph. (403) 233-0748 ext.
247
www.cchrei.ca /
acook@cchrei.ca
Site
design and management by
Travel Media, winner
of Awards for Creative
Excellence in Audio
Visual Production at
US
Our
CAREERS SECTION
welcomes items from
Africa, North America
and beyond. Please send
your listings of
employment
opportunities,
partnerships, exchanges,
apprenticeships and
training services by
E-
MAIL.
Careers
by Helen Broadus.
Continued from top of
page.
More
minorities are also
beginning to acquire
properties that they own
and manage in the
tourism and hospitality
industry. Consequently,
an important
organization to become a
member of and network
with is the National
Association of Black
Hotel Owners, Operators
and Developers
(NABHOOD). This
professional
organization's
membership consists of
people of color who own,
operate and develop
hotels throughout the
world. The creation of
NABHOOD is significant
in that it will be a
resource for anyone
interested in getting
into the hospitality
industry.
Preparation
is the key to entering
and succeeding in the
tourism and hospitality
industry. In addition to
being personable and
having exceptional
customer service skills,
the following
preparation is
recommended:
•
Develop a Plan of
Action. This plan may
include obtaining
additional education
offered at one of the
technical colleges,
universities or tourism
and hospitality
schools.
•
Research and talk with
people in the industry.
They will assist you in
learning more about the
industry and will become
a valuable resource for
future relationships.
Networking and building
relationships is vital
for long-term success in
the tourism and
hospitality
industry.
•
Know your product and
get to know the
competition. Many of the
non-entry-level
positions involve the
power of persuasion to
attract vacationers and
conventioneers to city,
state or business
establishments. You will
definitely need to be
able to distinguish your
products and services
from your competitor's
products and
services.
In
closing, the tourism and
hospitality industry can
offer you an opportunity
to achieve a sense of
personal fulfillment in
helping others to
experience and
appreciate all of the
cultural heritage,
historical legacy,
adventure and
entertainment of a
particular attraction or
destination. The tourism
and hospitality industry
has definitely provided
me with numerous
opportunities for career
enhancement and
progress. I have been
able to advance my
career through
networking as well as
professional training.
In addition, I have been
able to meet some very
interesting people and
travel to many parts of
the world. If you are
interested in learning
more about the tourism
and hospitality industry
please send me an e-mail
message at
vipinc@erols.com. Good
luck with your future
career in this
industry!
About the author:
Helen C. Broadus is the
Co-Founder and President
of Venue International
Professionals, Inc.
(VIP), which is a
full-service
international travel and
tourism-consulting
company, based in the
Washington Metropolitan
Area. She is also the
International Secretary
of the Africa Travel
Association (ATA) and
prior to that
appointment served as
the President of the
Mid-Atlantic Chapter of
the ATA organization.
She has frequently
hosted official
receptions for
ambassadors, ministers
of tourism, government
officials and
delegations from several
high profile African
nations. She has
organized, coordinated
and hosted many trade
and tourism shows,
marketing and sales
blitz campaigns, and
press conferences as
well as conducted
various tours for groups
in more than twenty
African
nations
She
was trained as a Sales
Associate with the
Marriott International
Corporation,
specializing in hotel
and hospitality
services. In 1997 she
received the coveted
Founder's Award from the
Africa Travel
Association for her
outstanding
contributions towards
the continued promotion
of travel and tourism
opportunities for the
Continent of Africa. In
1999, she received the
prestigious
Intercontinental Hotel
Group's Award for her
outstanding
contributions to the
promotion of travel and
tourism opportunities to
West Africa. She is also
a frequent writer of
travel and
tourism-related articles
and is currently writing
a book about the many
places on the African
continent that she has
visited over the
years.
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