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The Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Minister Didier Dogley accompanied by the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Anne Lafortune and the Director for Tourism Human Resource Development, Diana Quatre visited graduates of Shannon College at their current place of employment as part of a mentoring initiative, following a resolution at the last committee meeting held in December 2018.

The visit was conducted at four different hotels, namely the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles, Kempinski Seychelles Resort, AVANI Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa and the Constance Ephelia Seychelles on Monday 15^th April 2019.

The purpose of the visit was to meet with graduates of Shannon College who are working in the hotels of Seychelles and establish a communication channel between the graduates and the Ministry.

The first hotel to be visited was the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles employing the largest cohort, comprising of 7 Shannon graduates. This was followed by Kempinski Seychelles Resort & Spa with two graduates, Avani Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa with one graduate and the Constance Ephelia Seychelles with 3 Shannon graduates.

During the visit, graduates were given the opportunity to express their views, in the presence of their hotel managers. The main point of discussion was centred on the minimum salary and career progression within the hospitality industry. Overall the graduates in the four hotels were satisfied with their working condition and the opportunity offered to develop their career further.

Minister Dogley stated that “The visits of the Shannon graduates in their workplace and the meetings held with their General Managers provided an excellent opportunity for me to learn about the progress they have made as professionals in the hospitality industry. Most of them had clear career paths and personal development programs.

It was a real pleasure and an eye opener to discover that the majority of them are already working as managers in some of our top brand hotels. This in itself shows that the vision government had for more well-trained and highly skilled Seychellois to take leadership roles in our hospitality industry is becoming a reality.”

The Ministerial delegation will also be visiting graduates from the other tourism establishments in order to provide similar opportunities for interaction. These visits are in line with the goal of the Ministry to ensure that the tourism sector is equipped with qualified individuals and shall endeavour to continue to assist graduates in achieving their dreams of progression to senior positions within the hotel industry.

To date, there are 74 Shannon College graduates who have gone through this programme.

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The tourism industry of Seychelles, the country’s leading economic pillar, will greatly benefit as it welcomes home 11 hospitality professionals, following the completion of their studies in Ireland.

The sixth cohort of Seychellois student at the Shannon College graduated on March 17, 2019, a ceremony that took place in the presence of Seychelles’ Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, and Ports & Marine Mr. Didier Dogley.

Also present at the graduation ceremony were Mr. Flavien Joubert, the Principal of the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA), Mr. Claude Narin, the Patron of STA, Mr. Terence Crea of the NHRDC, parents and family members of the students.

Minister Dogley said it is the government’s vision to have the hospitality industry in Seychelles led by Seychellois professionals.

“During the last 10 years the necessary resources and support systems have been put into place to enable this to happen. Today we have reached another important milestone with the sixth cohort graduating with sterling results. All efforts will continue to be made for them to remain in the industry and prosper,” said Mr. Dogley.

The management of the school had only praise for the Seychellois students, who have performed very well and have been exemplary as students.

The twinning program between the Seychelles Tourism Academy and the Shannon College started in 2008. Since its inception, 65 students have graduated, with most of the young professionals still actively working in the industry.

The program, which is a 5 years Degree program, consist of three years training at Higher Diploma level at the STA plus two years degree training at Shannon College. The College forms part of the National University of Ireland.

During the visit to the college, the Seychelles delegation met and discuss a number of issues with the group of students currently following the course at the college. Generally, Seychellois students are very satisfied with the program and the quality of student life offered by the college.

It was also a great opportunity for the delegation to meet with the management of the college. Renewal of the five-year collaborative agreement between the two institutions was discussed, as the current one is ending.

The five-year strategic plan of the Seychelles Tourism Academy was also a topic of conversation between the officials present during the meeting. With the new plan, the academy hopes to chart a clear road map for the further development as an institution of excellence.

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