Page 17 - ARUBA TODAY
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                                                                                                                           Monday 15 January 2018

































             Hotel Hustle






             Column by: Shanella Pantophlet

             Educating the future



             Growing up my mother tried her very best to get my brother and I to go into
             the field of teaching. Obviously she had no luck, with me being in hospitality
             and my brother working in finance. However, before you feel too bad for her,
             she did get her wish in a way for at least one of us to be a teacher.

             One  of  the  most  important  parts  of  an  education  in  the  hospitality  sector
             is the internship process. During my time as a student at EPI hotel & tourism
             sector, I had to do two internships, both for the experience it would provide
             me and to further my personal growth and focus as to where I felt I would be
             best suited working in a hotel. Needless to say, as much  as I love to cook, the
             kitchen was not for me, but front desk and reservations definitely are where
             I felt at home.




               In the years since I started my working career we’ve had quite a few interns come through from different levels of schooling. It’s fascinating to
               me to interact with them and get their opinions and see them growing during their time with us. I know some of my colleagues may not be as
               enthusiastic about it as I am, but I’ve discovered that I love having an intern and teaching them about the business that I love. (See my mother
               got her wish in a way!)

               In my opinion with tourism being as important as it is to the local economy it is vital for those of us already in the work force to take on the role as
               educators to a younger generation. Aruba’s illustrious reputation as being “One Happy Island” hangs on our future generations and what they
               learn from us. In my own experiences I’ve had people pass off grunt work, not explain the workings of a resort or the importance and impact
               of their job in the grander scale. It can be demotivating to someone who comes in fresh and ready to learn and grow and it’s for that reason
               I try to teach those coming into my department as much as I can, while also letting them have their own input.

               As members of the current workforce we are their teachers, but we must also be willing to learn from them as well. The ideas and the questions
               that some of these students come up with really tend to make you see the way you work in a different light. Allowing them independence to
               challenge you and ask questions and fully experience hospitality is a benefit to them, to you and to your resort as a whole.

               I know that many of my colleagues in the hospitality business may see students as a nuisance or a threat to them and their job security, but
               they really aren’t. The goal of an internship is really to show the complexity of the work we do and have them understand how important their
               impact is on the experiences of visitors to our Island. The sustainability of the Aruban tourism industry is dependent on hospitality students and
               the people who guide them during their internship, it’s a responsibility we should all take great pride in. So the next time you get an intern, re-
               member to go forth and teach!q






                   Aruban born and bred Shanella Pantophlet is passionate about tourism. That is the world she studied and works in, so we might as well
                   call her a specialist. Luckily for Aruba Today Shanella also loves to write. And together with the fact that the majority of our readers are
                   tourists, we found ourselves a perfect combination for a column: Hotel Hustle.
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