Updated June 19 -- Of the many ways Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. could spend his last days in office as the Department of Tourism's chief, he has chosen to dedicate one of his last press conferences to the Philippines' most important tourism asset: the Filipino.Jimenez led the Department of Tourism (DOT) on June 14 in a tourism skills forum at the Manila Peninsula Manila Hotel to present updates on how the tourism industry and government are working to improve Filipino hospitality via the Philippine Improving Competitiveness in Tourism (PICTourism) Project on the Tourism Industry Skills Development Program (TISDP).
Administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and funded by the government of Canada, PICTourism focuses on improving quality standards of tourism in quality assurance of hotels, skills development, and regulatory review of the tourism sector.
Among the projects under skills development is the Industry Skills Grant Scheme (ISGS), which extends financial assistance to tourism-oriented firms to improve its human resources. The ISGS has raised the competitiveness of the tourism sector through the monetary grants for training programs centered on enhancing the skills and competency levels specifically of frontline service personnel.
The ISGS's first and second phases have so far cost US$2,093,000 granted to recipients who have trained a total of 12,745 locals.
The first round of grants was awarded last 2014 amounting to US$850,000. The 26 recipients benefited around 5,200 employees of tourism enterprises, community service organizations (CSO) and industry associations in the pilot provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Davao, and Palawan. At present, the grant for the first and second phases has reached US$1,243,000 with a total of 7,545 trained.
Ambassador Neil Reeder from the Embassy of Canada have opened the Skills Forum highlighting that the grant scheme have benefited both the private and the government sectors. With better service, there were more returning tourist which meant more private sectors sales and more revenue from the government that can allocated to improve and upgrade services, education and infrastructure development.
Outgoing DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez have delivered his message as well. Sec. Jimenez stressed that the Philippine Tourism Industry is the third largest dollar earning industry in the Philippines.This is one of the results of the program that invested in people skills working in the tourism sector. People made the difference, and the people ensure the competitive future of Philippine Tourism. He also thanked the ADB and the government of Canada for its continued support to the program.
"We have formulated a simple but effective strategy for moving forward and it startles so many people because of its simplicity, competitiveness through people," said Jimenez about the tourism sector.
Trainees from Amarela Resort (Bohol), Association of HRM (Davao), Cebu Association fo Tour Guides, INC., Philippine Eagle Conservation Program Foundation (Davao), Skylight Hotel (Palawan) and Cambugsay Tree Planters Association (Bohol) have shared their experiences to the crowd, how it improved their skills and the changes it brought to them.
Meanwhile, the grant recipients have provided updates on the "Impact of Skills Training and Improving Competitiveness". The leaders who shared their reports are from Bohol Association of Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants, Calamianes Association of Tourism Establishments, Cebu Parklane Hotel and Eden Nature Resort.
The event was also graced by ADB Director Kelly Bird, DOT Undersecretary Maria Victoria V. Jasmin, Chairperson of the National Tourism SKills Committee who also presented the Tourism Human Resource Development Strategy, an important output of TISDP.
The TISDP output mirrors the details of the strategic direction on human resource of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP), the industry's roadmap for tourism development. It supports the development of a more competent, well-motivated and productive workforce that is in line with international standards, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It also supports the certification process in consonance with the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for Tourism Professionals providing opportunities for cooperation and capacity building and facilitate mobility with the tourism sector in the country and ASEAN.
The NTDP's vision for the Philippines is to become the major source of highly trained and competitive workforce and be the center for tourism and hospitality training and education in the region. -E.M. Alger
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