By Hafsa Obeng / Christabel Kporvie
Accra, Aug. 13, GNA – The Hotel, Catering and Tourism Training Institute (HOTCATT) has launched internationally recognised certification and diploma programmes to strengthen Ghana’s tourism and hospitality workforce.
The programmes, offered in partnership with the Association of Business Executives (ABE) Global, are intended to improve professional standards, expand academic progression opportunities and enhance employment prospects locally and internationally.
Mr Yussif Jajah Issaka, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, said at the launch in Accra that the initiative was a strategic investment in Ghana’s human capital and would help build an internationally competitive and future-ready tourism workforce.
The launch was held on the theme: “Building a globally competitive tourism workforce: Advancing skills, professionalism and international qualifications.”
Mr Issaka said the programmes went beyond introducing new academic qualifications, contributing to tourism education, technical and vocational skills development and industry professionalism.
He said rapid technological advancement, digital innovation, artificial intelligence, sustainability requirements and changing consumer expectations were reshaping the global tourism industry and making continuous skills development essential.
Although Ghana had rich cultural heritage and tourist attractions, he said, the country’s competitiveness would increasingly depend on the quality, professionalism and competence of its tourism workforce.
Mr Issaka said the government remained committed to positioning tourism, culture and the creative arts as key drivers of economic transformation, job creation and foreign exchange earnings.
He said achieving that objective required internationally benchmarked qualifications, continuous professional development and institutions responsive to evolving industry needs.
“The collaboration between HOTCATT and ABE Global provides an important pathway for Ghanaian professionals and aspiring practitioners to acquire internationally recognised qualifications without leaving our shores,” he said.
The Deputy Minister called for inclusive tourism education to ensure that young people, women, persons with disabilities and local communities across the country benefited from skills development opportunities.
He also urged stronger collaboration among government, educational institutions, industry players and development partners to strengthen tourism education and workforce development.
Dr Isaac Yeboah, Country Director of ABE Ghana, described the partnership as a strategic workforce development initiative to improve professionalism, service quality and Ghana’s competitiveness in the global tourism industry.
He said the collaboration combined HOTCATT’s practical industry expertise with ABE’s internationally recognised qualifications in business, leadership, entrepreneurship and employability.
Dr Yeboah said the programmes would enable front office officers, housekeepers, tour guides, restaurant managers and food and beverage personnel to upgrade their qualifications through internationally recognised diploma programmes.
The programmes would cover tourism and hospitality operations, customer relationship management, contemporary industry trends, business management, leadership development, digital literacy, communication, teamwork, cultural awareness and other employability skills required by modern employers.
He said the qualifications carried internationally recognised academic credits, enabling graduates to progress from diploma level to bachelor’s and postgraduate studies through recognised pathways.
Dr Yeboah said ABE qualifications were regulated by the UK’s Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), providing international recognition and quality assurance.
He urged tourism industry employers to support the initiative through internship placements, workplace learning and continuous professional development for employees.
Dr Yeboah said the partnership was expected to help produce a highly skilled workforce capable of improving service standards and supporting industry growth.
Dr Eric Kofi Afornorpe, Executive Director of HOTCATT, said the partnership marked another milestone in efforts to develop a world-class tourism and hospitality workforce capable of competing globally.
He said HOTCATT, established in 1991 following recommendations by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), had remained a practical hospitality and tourism training institution.
The Institute trains chefs, caterers, front office personnel, tour guides, housekeeping staff, food and beverage service professionals, event managers and customer service personnel, with customer service and health and safety forming part of its core training.
Dr Afornorpe said HOTCATT had obtained accreditation from the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) and was collaborating with technical universities, including Accra Technical University, to expand professional training opportunities.
He said the new ABE Global qualifications, recognised in about 70 countries, would provide certification in tourism, hospitality, business and leadership while combining practical industry skills with entrepreneurship and management training.
Dr Afornorpe said the programmes would also provide progression pathways to bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes and improve graduates’ employability in Ghana and abroad, including opportunities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, Africa and the cruise ship industry.
He said nationwide admissions would begin immediately, with the first cohort expected to commence lectures in October.
Dr Afornorpe encouraged people interested in the hospitality industry to enrol, saying customer satisfaction and service quality were critical to the success of hospitality businesses.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Hafsa ObengÂ
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