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The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and Tourism HR Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will support and grow a skilled, sustainable tourism workforce in both regions.
Announced at the recent Tourism Labor Market Forum held in Ottawa, Canada, the collaborative working relationship builds upon long-established tourism links between the two regions. The agreement is based on the organizations’ respective mandates, emphasizing that the growth and competitiveness of tourism rely on the industry’s ability to attract and retain a skilled workforce.
“This agreement with Tourism HR Canada allows CTO members to tap into their wealth of expertise in workforce development,” said Sharon Banfield-Bovell, CTO’s Director of Resource Mobilization and Development. “By collaborating on training, capacity building, and competency standards, we will not only strengthen our own tourism workforce but also create opportunities for knowledge exchange that will benefit both regions.”
The collaboration entails:
- Information sharing: Each organization will build on decades of sharing labor market intelligence on matters of joint interest, including invitations to participate in events or special committees.
- Capacity building and skills transfer: The organizations will work together to enhance the skills and knowledge of personnel through training and knowledge-sharing initiatives, striving towards exemplary practices to grow and develop sustainable tourism workforces.
- Leveraging resources: This includes CTO adapting Tourism HR Canada’s tourism competency library for use in the Caribbean, adapting Tourism HR Canada’s Emerit certification credentials to inform similar instruments for the Caribbean market, and brokering or adapting proprietary learning content (training programs) for use in each other’s market. For example, Canadian material in the Caribbean, and Caribbean material in Canada.
- Developing a new technology platform: The platform will host and manage the tourism competency library.
- International benchmarking and collaboration: The organizations will work together to continually improve programs and services to create globally competitive workforces.
- Promoting the value of the working relationship.
“We are excited at the opportunity to share with and learn from an organization who shares our goals and values around the importance of workforce development, skills training, employer support, and professional recognition,” noted Philip Mondor, President and CEO of Tourism HR Canada. “We have over 30 years of experience around labor market topics, which we hope will enhance the initiatives being undertaken by the Caribbean Tourism Organization. In turn, we look forward to the chance to expand on our own capacity and gain fresh perspectives as we work with their esteemed professionals.”
PHOTO CAPTION: CTO’s Sharon Banfield-Bovell (second from right) is pictured with (l-r) Darlene Grant Fiander, President, Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, and Executive Director, Nova Scotia Tourism Human Resource Council; Philip Mondor, President and CEO, Tourism HR Canada; and Joe Baker, Tourism HR Canada Board Member and Dean at the Okanagan College School of Business.
