Local hospitality training institute to offer international qualifications

Rwanda’s hospitality sector may soon get a boost when Hospitality Stars Academy, a locally-based world-class training institute, starts offering international qualifications in this area. The academy has initiated partnership with the Kigali-based three-star Urban Park Suites Hotel, the LCCI Global Qualifications and the Educational Institute of American Hotels and Motels Association to offer internationally-recognised professional courses. It comes after Rwanda hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which, according to experts in the field, earned the country an enviable status in the growth and development of Africa’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) sector. The initiative is aimed at training high school graduates aspiring to have careers in the hospitality sector as well as practicing professionals who need to refine their skills and gain professional certifications, benchmarked against global standards. At the signing of the partnership agreement with LCCI Global Qualifications on Tuesday, August 30, Jerry Were, the founder of Hospitality Stars Academy, said the institute will offer diploma courses in global culinary arts as well as diploma and advanced diploma in hotel management. “The first thing we want to do is to create an opportunity for young people in Rwanda to access jobs,” said Were, “and of course after getting the jobs, the next thing is to have them excel in their roles, not just locally but also to access career opportunities abroad.” He said they looked forward to working with players and employers in the local hospitality sector as well as the international partners. The training programmes, Were added, would start by January 2023, with a results-oriented methodology. Dr Roshan Rathi, the co-founder of the LCCI Global Qualifications, said there was huge demand for skills in Rwanda’s tourism and hospitality industry. “The hospitality industry could be the backbone of this country’s [economy],” Roshan said. “But there’s a skills shortage here and the hospitality industry is always dependent on human resources. “So, we have come here to offer internationally benchmarked diplomas and advanced diplomas in hospitality management and this is going to be an apprentice-based programme so that students get hands-on skills while being at the hotel itself.” He added that the training team will be composed of people who know the Rwandan culture and psychology and former hotel managers. “Today is a historical day in the history of the hospitality industry in Rwanda,” said Asad Malik, the general manager of the Urban Park Suites Hotel, which is located in the Gisimenti area. “We recently opened this hotel, from where I see the challenges that we faced in the beginning...people here are highly educated but when it comes to skills development, we face huge challenges.” Malik added that he was confident the initiative of the Hospitality Stars Academy and LCCI would change the dynamics of the local hospitality industry for the better. Sam Barigye, the president of Rwanda Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Professionals, said the new training programmes would help the industry reach professional goals. “We are excited about this tripartite partnership involving an international qualifications centre, a local training institution and a hotel, first because in the near future, we are going to ensure that all people who work in the hospitality and tourism sector are qualified,” Barigye said. “Second, as a country we are looking at exporting labour; and the addition of international qualifications will give us a very competitive advantage as well as bridge the current skills gap.”

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Local hospitality training institute to offer international qualifications