Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura
Mutare Bureau
THE Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry has partnered institutions of higher learning to provide training for students and equip them to meet the evolving demands of the industry, Minister Barbara Rwodzi has said.
She was speaking on the sidelines of the Scholastic Conference in Mutare yesterday.
The minister emphasised the need for colleges and universities to produce graduates who can seamlessly adapt to the sector, add value and bring innovative ideas.
The scholastic competition, which involves colleges and universities, challenges participants to develop groundbreaking concepts for leveraging a sustainable future through responsible tourism practices.
It started at last year’s Sanganai as an initiative to bridge the gap between the tourism industry and academia.
Government has introduced the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 system to improve skills and innovation across industries, including tourism, said Minister Rwodzi.
“Students from all 10 provinces competed. The Government, academia and the industry must work together as we did in the past,” she said.
“The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) used to collaborate with academia to train students, allowing them to gain skills while still in institutions.
“We recently received complaints from the industry that students coming out of institutions are underprepared and lack practical skills. They understand the theory of tourism, but struggle with practical application.”
Students are winning prizes from the competitions being held by the ministry.
Minister Rwodzi said going forward, the Ministry of Tourism, through ZTA, will support the initiation of these business ideas.
“I am proud of the students’ presentations and their innovativeness in line with our policy on eco-tourism and sustainable tourism,” she added.
At the National Scholastic Tourism Conference, held alongside the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Kumbanayi World Travel Expo at Mutare Sports Club, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Dr Frederick Shava, said there was need for a competent and skilled labour force to maintain and manage Zimbabwe’s iconic tourist destinations for future generations.
Dr Shava was represented by his deputy, Simelisizwe Sibanda.
Mutare Polytechnic triumphed over stiff competition from other institutions to claim the first position. For their efforts, the Ministry of Tourism and ZTA committed to funding the polytechnic’s proposal, along with a cash prize and a trophy.
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, offered one-year scholarships to the students involved in the project.
Bongani Ndlovu