A recent and
very welcome addition to Wolwedans is the newly created
Desert Academy.
Now in its first term, the Desert Academy was created
with the support of The Namibian Tourist Board (NTB)
and the National Training Authority (NTA) to raise the
skills level of the local tourism workforce and therefore
the quality of our national hospitality product to a
worldwide standard. Desert Academy is funded entirely
by the Wolwedans Foundation – a non-profit making
organisation, which in turn is funded by future donors
and NamibRand Safari’s (which pledged to donate
2% of turnover into the Foundation).
We were honoured to be the only Lodge company to be
approached to run a ‘pilot’ course for Tourism
& Hospitality and we aim to take our role very seriously.
Currently with 16 bright, young students our Academy
is running a 20 week rotational programme encompassing
all aspects of the hospitality industry. Our students
will be given hands on experience of all of our departments
including Laundry, Kitchen, Housekeeping, Guiding, Administration,
Maintenance and of course, learning first hand the front
of house skills needed to serve you, our precious guests
at our lodge and camps, alongside our already experienced
employees.
To support the hands-on experience, we have a temporary
classroom situated at the main reception where the students
are schooled daily in the theory behind hospitality.
It is a truly comprehensive syllabus provided to us
by the NTA, who after extensive research developed the
course in line with the growing demand for highly skilled
employees in this sector. The course culminates in an
exam, and if passed, the students receive a formal NTA
accreditation – there really is no better start
to their careers in hospitality.
Our commitment – pending funding - is such that
our long term plan is to scale up and build a separate
new school building at the Wolwedans village, which
will then provide purpose built accommodation and classrooms,
ensuring longevity to the programme.
The students have their own dedicated teacher, Veruschka
Bond, who comes to the classroom with a wealth of knowledge
and hospitality experience. Educated locally in Windhoek,
she went on to South Africa to obtain a Bachelor of
Arts and a postgraduate diploma in International Studies
at the university of Grahamstown. Her extensive hospitality
experience was gained as General Manager of the Relais
& Chateaux Hotel Heinitzburg. So rest assured our
students are in very safe hands! |