Tourism Minister meets mentoring committee of Shannon College graduates

The Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, has met members of the mentors committee, the body which supports the returning graduates from Shannon College.

The mentors committee, which is chaired by the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Anne Lafortune, is also made up of representatives from the employment department, the Agency for National Human Resource Development, Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA), general managers of hotels, and returning graduates.

During the meeting held recently, Minister Loustau-Lalanne initiated a discussion to re-look at the objectives of the mentors committee.

It was clearly established that returning graduates from Shannon College should work in the hotel industry with particular emphasis on the operations departments (Kitchen, Restaurant and Bar, Accommodations and Front Office) if they wish to climb the ladder to eventually make it to the position of a general manager.

Those who attended the meeting also agreed that it is important to manage the expectations of the graduates while they are still students and to instill in them the drive to work hard and prove themselves in the hotel industry for them to be recognized for promotion.

Another issue discussed was the succession and localization plan which establishments must have for graduates.

The members are highly motivated to make 2017 another year of successful outcomes, and they pledge to keep offering their support and mentorship to the returning graduates.

The purpose of the mentors committee is to support the returning graduates who have followed the Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management (ADHM) program at STA for 3 years and who have then managed to successfully complete their fourth year at Shannon College of Hotel Management and obtained their Bachelor’s Degree in Business studies and Hotel Management (BBS).

It also has the mandate of ensuring the wellbeing of the Shannon College returning graduates in their workplaces.

The committee aims to ensure that through monitoring and mentoring these returning graduates will one day be able to take up senior management positions in the country’s hotel industry.