Representatives of the youth tourism sector in South Africa have welcomed the Gauteng government’s opening of the province’s first School of Specialisation in tourism and hospitality, but are calling for enhanced collaboration to ensure that youth employment objectives are fulfilled.
Tembisa Secondary School has been transformed into the Tembisa Commerce & Entrepreneurship School of Specialisation, which was officially launched on Tuesday by Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi. The school has its own simulated hotel, complete with a reception area, bedroom, bathroom, laundry room and restaurant, so that high school learners can gain practical tourism and hospitality skills.
In his address to learners and teachers at the launch, Lesufi said the school had been chosen because the region around Tembisa was home to crucial tourism infrastructure such as OR Tambo International Airport and numerous hotels, but that local youth were not sufficiently equipped with skills to make them employable.
Industry stakeholders are hopeful that the school will reach its objectives of boosting the employment of youth in South Africa’s tourism sector. But the youth tourism sub-sector, which comprises businesses such as backpackers, volunteer tourism organisations and adventure tour operators that mainly target youth clientele, has stressed the need for enhanced communication with tourism organisations in order to make learners more aware of employment opportunities.
“Youth tourism businesses are major employers and comprise about 30% of our tourism sector, so when we are not informed about the opening of new schools of tourism, an opportunity is being missed,” said Aidan Lawrence, Marketing Director for Youth Tourism South Africa, which represents more than 90 youth tourism businesses.
According to SATSA, youth tourism does not only target youth clientele: 60% of people working in the industry are youth themselves.
“Youth often come to our tourism businesses looking for jobs, without having any practical skills. They want work, but have no foundation or knowledge of how to work in tourism and hospitality. Having schools of specialisation can help to bridge the gap between learners and businesses, but we call on the government to communicate such initiatives to the relevant organisations, so that they can become more sustainable and inclusive,” Lawrence added.
Schools of Specialisation aim to address the skills learners need based on the Economic Development Corridor in which they are located. The Tembisa school, the 28th School of Specialisation in Gauteng, was entirely built by Grade 11 learners from the Katlehong Engineering School of Specialisation, under the guidance of Umphakathi Development and Training.
