Inner islands welcome back STA Apprenticeship Scheme |24 July 2023

The induction in full swing

Parents, S5 school leavers and tourism industry practitioners from the inner islands have welcomed the re-introduction of the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA) Apprenticeship Scheme.

The programme, which is being run as a pilot project, is expected to start this month and a first cohort of participants have already signed up.

Recently, the participants attended an induction which was held at the Bahai Centre in Baie Ste Anne. Twelve of them are expected to follow the foundation course for food preparation and culinary arts while eight have enrolled for the service delivery course.

The induction aimed to give both participants and parents more insight on the training itself and general codes of conduct, bearing in mind that once enrolled, participants officially become STA students and have to abide by the institutions’ regulations.

This cohort is expected to attend a theory class held at the Amitié Stadium once a week, go on industry placement for five days and benefit from one day off duty per week.

The 12-week programme will also include practical classes which are expected to take place at the Baie Ste Anne school meal centre with the support of industry professionals.

Representatives of various tourism establishments who will be partnering with STA in support of the programme were also present and all parties showed much enthusiasm in this much awaited programme. Established in 2007, there was a pause over a five-year period in the programme and now this opportunity for professional and personal development is back.

There are various reasons why the apprenticeship scheme programme is preferred over joining the STA academy on Mahé and the most common are the financial constraints and social impacts of teenagers or young adults being away from their homes.

Terence Max, director for STA, was also present to address the participants.

“This first cohort is a small pilot group but that is a good start. We hope to eventually improve the programme, gather more interest from the community and expand it so that in the future we might have a fully fledged mini STA on Praslin to meet the needs of the tourism industry. There are many job opportunities on these two tourism-dominated islands and recruitment is a real struggle for establishments, so there is definitely a demand for STA to step in,” Mr Max expressed.

Mr Max added that there is a variety of opportunities available through STA.

“There are various courses and progression routes available at the STA. These include the Advanced Diploma in Hotel Management (ADHM) which can lead up to management level. It is an intense three-year programme with overseas exposure and one year at the Shannon College in Ireland. So by the time students graduate, they are expected to have the necessary requirements and experience to join at least junior management level. Although there is an observable challenge over the years to retain these young professionals in the industry, we are currently trying to identify possible solutions to remedy this situation.”

Despite the challenges, STA is intensifying its efforts on Praslin  and La Digue through various stakeholders such as the schools and tourism establishments to increase visibility and awareness of the apprenticeship scheme programme. This is a good starting point for students from the inner island to enjoy a bright career in the tourism industry.

Mosianne Dugasse, a Praslinois by origin who has been teaching at the STA for the past eight years, will be the programme coordinator.

Text by Nadia Bedier

Photos by Romano Laurence