A conference was held at the Institute for Tourism Studies, Gozo, which was attended by tourism sector representatives and others from the educational field. The conference was held in collaboration with the Ministry for Gozo, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism, Environment and Culture; the Gozo Tourism Association together with the Malta Tourism Authority.

The conference was attended by several heads of schools, teachers, and guidance teachers within the Gozo College, together with persons involved in the tourism sector in Gozo. The conference opened a week of activities aimed at increasing awareness about the possibilities and job opportunities in the tourism sector. The activities that have bee prepared for this week are aimed at exposing these opportunities among students, parents and those involved in the educational field, so the choice of a career in the tourism sector can be considered.

Speaking at the conference, the Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono, said that the Gozo tourism product requires local people willing to offer a service and be working in the tourism sector. The Minister praised this initiative whereby students are making career choices and can be made more aware of the opportunities offered by this sector. The Minister explained how the Institute for Tourism Studies increased learning opportunities and youth training in Gozo while also being a service for the tourism industry. “This Institute is the fruit of the collaboration that has existed during the last ten years between the Ministry for Gozo and the tourism industry in Gozo. This shows that the commitment of the Ministry for Gozo is to support and promote this sector so vital to the economy of the island,” said Minister Debono.

The conference was also addressed by Mario de Marco, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Environment and Culture within the Office of the Prime Minister. He said that Malta is not only the product heritage of our country that goes back 7000 years, towns and beaches, hotels, roads and infrastructure, but is above all the human resources it holds. It is why when Malta is advertised abroad, with emphasis made solely on the historical heritage and diversity of our product, but also over the hospitality that is characteristic of the Maltese people for so many centuries. He said that the youth need to continue to train to get to know more about what is happening in the tourism sector and how it is changing from time to time. It requires that young people see employment in tourism as a career and not receive it as a transitional work between jobs. While it is important to have people trained in the sector and in this respect he praised the contribution of ITS, the MTA and the University for offering courses, he stressed that training is ongoing. In this context the Malta Tourism Authority will soon launch a training programme co-funded by the EU aimed at raising performance and higher employee certifies,.

Informative presentations were made by Mr Andre Arciola, by the MTA, Mr. Joe Muscat from the Gozo Tourism Association, and Ms Fleur Attard from ITS Gozo. Mario Apap and Ms Marie Claire Cassar, Guidance Teachers and Dr Nadia Theuma, Head of Department of Tourism Studies at the University of Malta.

The programme of activities being held between the 26th of April and the 2nd of May for Careers in Tourism Week, include visits to places and tourist establishments in Gozo, such as tourist attractions, agro-tourism, food places and other establishments offering accommodation, including hotels and farmhouses. This will allow students who attend the third and fourth year of secondary school in Gozo, direct contact with many services offered to tourists visiting this island. The activity being held today Tuesday, the 27th of April, at the Institute for Tourism Studies in Qala will enable students to meet with Gozitan personalities who work in various areas of the tourism sector while holding working sessions in the respective practices. The activities end this Sunday, the 2nd of May 2010, when there will be an open day at the ITS in Qala. Parents with students, teachers and young people seeking work or wishing to change jobs, are invited to visit this institute to find out more about courses and new facilities being offers this Institute, as well as with job opportunities and careers that are on offer in the Gozitan tourism sector.

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