In collaboration with the USAID Turizam project, the Adult Education Institution “New Occupations” successfully conducted training aimed at enhancing the abilities of receptionists, waiters, and cooks.
Three-day trainings for cooks, waiters, and receptionists were organized as part of the USAID Turizam-funded project “Education – Basis for Employment in a Strong Tourism Sector,” with an amazing 133 successful participants. More than 80 people attended the graduation ceremony, and the Adult Education Institution “New Professions” signed 11 cooperation agreements with Sarajevo’s hospitality and tourism businesses, including hotels Europe, Holiday, Hills, Hollywood, Koncept Resident, Hecco, and B Planet Group. As part of this ceremony, project partners had the opportunity to meet candidates for open positions who were assisted by the Adult Education Institution “New Occupations” in preparing their CVs, thus making it easier for interested candidates to requalify or improve and advance in the profession.
According to the Adult Education Institution “New Occupations,” one of the greatest advantages of the three-day trainings is that it assists the private sector of tourism solve the problem of insufficient staff, while also providing an opportunity for all unemployed individuals and those who want to advance their careers to acquire certain knowledge and acquire new skills that will make them competitive on the labor market.
On this occasion, Karl Wurster, Director of the USAID/BiH Economic Development Office, said: “We celebrate the success of each of them individually, because they have taken a step in the right direction and on the path of lifelong learning. These enthusiastic people, who are willing to acquire new knowledge and adopt new skills, are a guarantee of a bright future for tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
The project “Education – Basis for Employment in a Strong Tourism Sector” aims to develop a high-quality workforce in the tourism and hospitality sectors while also strengthening the local population’s capacity to meet the demands of a modern, dynamic, and challenging labor market. The focus of the training was on the skills of serving drinks and food in various countries, pairing food and wine, hygiene, storage, and preparation of food, the use of software solutions for work at the reception, as well as familiarization with the specific vocabulary of the English language.
About the success and importance of the trainings, the Secretary of the Adult Education Institution “New Occupations” Ermin Kurtović spoke: “The training was extremely successful, and among the 133 participants we had about 40 unemployed people and about 20 students, which is the first time that someone has offered an opportunity to students, and for us it is a new target group, especially in the situation of a lack of workers on the labor market. So far, as far as we know, more than 30 people have established a working relationship.”
The global tourism industry, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, is facing a serious labor shortage. Analysis and forecasting of the demands for human capital in the tourism sector (2021-2027), conducted by USAID Turizam in 2021, anticipates a deficit of 8,100 tourism professionals in Bosnia and Herzegovina by 2027. This underscores the critical need to increase the number of qualified individuals working in the tourism industry and to improve their abilities.
Adult Education Institution “Nova Zanimanja” is dedicated to offering educational opportunities and training that is in line with labor market. Individuals looking for short-term training programs can improve their abilities or find better employment. The successful implementation of the project “Education – Basis for Employment in a Strong Tourism Sector” sets the standard for empowering individuals and initiating economic growth in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
Listen to the statements of the participants below:
