The 2024 Travel, Hospitality and Tourism Education Summit held in the Zambian capital Lusaka brought stakeholders in the country and beyond to cross-fertilize ideas.
It was hosted by the Zambia Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Studies (ZITHS) under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism.
The theme for the three-day event was: “Human Capital Gap in Africa’s Tourism Industry: Aligning Learning to Industry Development in the AfCFTA era.”
The summit provided a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation in the dynamic field of tourism education.
From the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, VoyagesAfriq Media spoke to Anne Kaoma, the newly appointed Executive Director of ZITHS.
She shared valuable insights into the institute’s mission, vision, and strategies aimed at advancing the tourism and hospitality sector in Zambia and beyond.
Kaoma said: “ZITHS, as we passionately call it, is the Zambia Institute for Tourism and Hospitality Studies. It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Tourism that is mandated to provide tourism and hospitality education, training, as well as capacity development for the tourism sector, the tourism subsectors and the hospitality subsectors. The mandate does not end at ZITHS but cuts across the entire tourism and hospitality sub sectors to develop human capital”
ZITHS wants to address the knowledge and skills gaps affecting the development of tourism and its subsectors. They have to quickly adapt to modern trends to catch up.
She added: “So what we have done to combat limitations is to, of course, take our learners through the theoretical aspect of the learning and then take them out to industry, where they gather their industry work experience, as well as exposure in industry practice.”
“So because we have limitations at ZITHS in terms of the below standard facility, limitations in tourism education offering, where only programs in tourism and hospitality studies are provided, when more programs such as MICE education can be included. We are also cognizant of the challenges of lack of the necessary equipment to . enable us provide a high quality education we envisage to provide. To make up for the inadequacies, we collaborate with industry players, who provide us an opportunity to send our students on internships or to be attachments in the tourism establishments for industry exposure.
The involvement of the private sector remains key to the success of ZITHS and the organization is not lost on this as Kaoma explains further: “Yes, we consistently engage with the private sector. For instance, we engage general managers from various hospitality establishments in Lusaka and across Zambia to share their expectations regarding the skill sets we are cultivating at ZITHS,” she said.
“By involving them in activities such as curriculum development, student internships, as well as having them deliver lectures at ZITHS, we gain invaluable insights. This collaboration at roundtables ensures that our training remains relevant to the industry needs, providing our students with firsthand knowledge from key players in the sector. Our engagement extends to actively collaborating on determining the training that aligns with industry demands.”
ZITHS’ Aspiration To Meet Global Benchmarks:
Kaoma said: “We want our students to be employable even on an international level and not lack in any aspect of tourism and hospitality skills and knowledge. So we envision to continue student and faculty exchange programs with other reputable institutions and universities. We want to see ZITHS represent Zambia on an international level and be the lead in tourism and hospitality educator in the region. “
“So, we are looking to really lift ZITHS to the international stage. So any student that graduates from Zambia Institute for Tourism and Hospitality Studies should be able to match and meet the international standards and be able to provide the relevant skills needed without any differences or gaps in skills compared to students from other universities. So that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Initiatives and partnerships, Kaoma highlighted ongoing programs such as student exchange programs and apprenticeships, aimed at providing students with exposure and hands-on experience.
“By sending them out there to places like the United States, it gives them a really great opportunity to learn what is out there. For example, ZITHS, in partnership with Diageo introduced an apprenticeship program that allowed for 50 learners to undergo a mixology skills training and workplace training placement. Such partnerships, where our students can actually undergo training on the job and gain industry exposure, are what we’re looking to continue facilitating”
In conclusion, Kaoma expressed gratitude for the opportunity to lead ZITHS and outlined her vision for the institute’s future impact.
“It feels really great. It’s in line with my aspirations, career goals, so it feels really great. It’s a blessing. I am very excited about it and looking forward to having a positive imprint in the tourism sub sector and the entire tourism industry in Zambia and across the region,” she affirmed.
This article was first published in the June 2024 Edition of VoyagesAfriq Travel Magazine
