A tourism careers development networking session was held at Africa’s Travel Indaba, to inform tourism stakeholders of the upcoming National Tourism Careers Expo (NTCE), taking place from September 28 to 30 in Mahikeng, North West Province, and encourage participation of industry players in the expo.
This feeds into the collaborative African ministerial drive towards youth education, upskilling and employment within the tourism sector, raised at the 5th annual African Ministerial Session on Monday, May 7. “We need to have a youth focus,” said Fundisile Mketeni, Bureau Member of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) representing Africa, with “skills development to create livelihood opportunities”, added Elcia Grandcourt, Director for the Regional Programme for Africa, an arm of the World Tourism Organisation.
The NTCE is an initiative of the Department of Tourism, in partnership with the Culture Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Education Training Authority, and was created to bridge the information gap between the industry and learners, and create awareness around tourism careers and opportunities. It also provides a connective platform where learners and tourism graduates can network with potential employers. "Through the NTCE, we have introduced more than 25 000 learners and graduates in the Free State over the past three years to various tourism professions, and we are eager to increase this number in the North West from 2018 to 2020 in our quest to create more tourism jobs," said Deputy Minister of Tourism, Elizabeth Thabethe.
"The participation of industry stakeholders at the NTCE has contributed to the event’s success, and it has also helped shape our youth skills development programmes," said Thabethe. "There is a lot we can achieve when we work together. I also urge youth to attend the NTCE and apply for our Youth Skills Development Programmes as we strive to eradicate unemployment and poverty in our communities," she concluded.
