Recently appointed Institute of Tourism Studies chairman Claire Zammit Xuereb aspires to have the St Julian’s campus run similarly to a hospitality business to narrow the gap between the school and the industry.
“Under this strategy, our 1,000-odd students would have the opportunity to learn in the environment that they will eventually work in,” Ms Zammit Xuereb told The Times Business. “Attitude, approach, inter-personal skills and personality are crucial attributes students must possess before they enter this business. Tourism is a ‘people industry’. In this way, I hope to narrow the gap between ITS and the tourism sector by implementing certain practices, procedures, environments pertaining to the industry in the school itself. When students eventually enter the working world, the shock to their system should be significantly reduced.”
Ms Zammit Xuereb, who was appointed in April after a short stint on ITS’ board, believes human resources in tourism is the most important arm of the sector, particularly as Malta is gearing itself to attract more quality tourism. If the service standards are not up to scratch, that objective will not be met, she said.
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Abstact taken from The Times of Malta: www.timesofmalta.com