26 Mar 2024

The young should take advantage of the value chain in the tourism industry so that they explore all opportunities to service the sector. 

The call was made by the Assistant District Commissioner, Mr Ramogaupi Gaborekwe, during the graduation ceremony of 30 youth who completed a travel agency course aimed at equipping them with knowledge and skills to enhance the visitor experience. 

Organised by Department of Youth and Practicum Institute, which provides unique training for the tourism industry, the training aimed at encouraging youth citizen participation in the industry, mostly dominated by foreigners. 

Mr Gaborekwe said there were several value chains from which they could leverage opportunities for jobs, develop entrepreneurship and build their businesses. He urged graduates to apply the skills they had acquired going forward, noting that the tourism industry requires operators with high levels skills and abilities to provide the best experience to the clientele.

“This industry offers service in terms of giving the best experience to your visitors. Some of you have been in the industry since you got your Youth Development Fund and your main role is to offer the best service and experience to your clients to call for a comeback,” he added. 

Mr Gaborekwe said the industry thrives on excellent service provision and urged graduates to up their game and provide high level customer service saying the industry could also help to achieve the high-income status for the country. 

Operators were urged to have high standards in their operations so that they benefit more in the industry and to always upscale themselves by attending tourism expos to learn best practices that could help grow their entities. 

He also appreciated the partnership between Practicum Institute and the ministry responasible for youth affairs, saying it would help the country to make a breakthrough economically in terms of the benefits in the tourism sector.

“I strongly believe in human capital development because if one undertakes a business without skills and knowledge, it can collapse along the way and this training will help you to achieve to your highest abilities and become part of the country’s growing industry,” he added. 

Dr Nkisang Moeti, from Practicum Institute, appreciated government’s efforts towards investing in the youth who were future leaders, acknowledging that travel agency operators played a key role in the development and flourishment of tourism industry. 

The institute, she said, was renowned for its unique approach infused with practicality to address the paradigm shift indicating that they have been offering training since 2018 to fill the gap of mismatch in the working environment. 

She said most institutions concentrated on theory rather than practicals and thanked the government for partnering with them to produce individuals who were prime for employment rather than fostering entrepreneurship and leadership equipped with skills attuned to market demands.

“Recognising this disparity, we established this Practicum Institute and our mission is to instill self-reliance, professionalism and transformative mindset across various sectors. We envision our institute as a global centre of excellence renowned for its innovative approach, industry engagements and outcome-based initiatives,” she added.

Deputy District Youth Coordinator, Ms Refilwe Banda, said the ministry was committed to support the creation of a conducive environment’s for the youth to access opportunities. She said the course was a great milestone that fitted well within the government’s aspiration to facilitate citizen participation in the tourism industry.

“Since we are in a tourism hub, we believe that more needs to be done to improve upon whatever motivation there is for the youth to venture into tourism activities. We believe that this sector can positively and directly impact livelihoods and address the issue of unemployment among the young population,” she added.

Ms Banda said the youth need to be given chance to explore and optimise the opportunities that exist in the industry hence they saw it fit to empower them through training so that they acquire the skills and knowledge to thrive. ENDs