The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) is pleased to announce that work on the development of a Pacific Regional Tourism & Hospitality Human Resources Development Plan has started and is progressing well. The work was tendered and won by the Auckland University of Technology’s New Zealand Tourism Research Institute headed by Professor Simon Milne; who is also the lead consultant for the project. He will be assisted by Dr Semisi Taumoepeau and the HR Specialist in the SPTO, Mr Filipe Tuisawau.
The development of the regional HRD Plan is part of the Pacific Regional Capacity Building Programme (PRTCBP) funded by the European Union and implemented by the SPTO. It is funded under the overall Strengthening Pacific Economic Integration Through Trade (SPEITT) budget financed from the Regional Indicative Programme in the framework of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement 2005 from the general budget of the European Union.
The overall objective of the PRTCBP implemented by SPTO is to improve Pacific ACP countries economic integration through strengthened national systems and institutional frameworks, to develop trade capacity, increase private sector competitiveness and increase international market access in the tourism sector. Lack of skilled personnel, poor service delivery and standards, limited training and inconsistent education/training frameworks had been identified as weaknesses in the tourism sector. The development of the regional tourism HRD Plan by SPTO aims to address these weaknesses. The work to produce the plan will involve a needs analysis and key inputs from stakeholders in the Pacific ACP countries including a web survey and field work in selected countries. To date, field work has been carried out in Tonga, Cook Islands and Vanuatu. Further field work will be carried out in the next few weeks. The plan will set out a prioritised series of training programmes in the region to be implemented from 2013 – 2014. This will include short term training programmes and attachments targetting key sectors and countries in the region which have difficulty accessing training in their areas of need.
The Chief Executive Officer of SPTO Mr Ilisoni Vuidreketi said that work on the Regional Tourism and Hospitality Human Resources Development Plan is a key delivery for SPTO and is crucial in addressing the human resources needs of the tourism sector in the region from a planning and strategic perspective. It will also be a useful tool for planners and policy makers in the region.
For further information please contact: ftuisawau@spto.org
END 28 September 2012
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