James Kon
Thirteen participants completed the training of the ASEAN National Trainer programme in Hotel Division for Front Office programme yesterday at Mulia Hotel.
The programme was an initiative of the Tourism Development Department and the Brunei Association of Hotels (BAH) to train the frontliners on the importance of providing quality hospitality services.
Attending the certificate presentation ceremony was Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism Hajah Tutiaty binti Haji Abdul Wahab.
Also in attendance were Acting Director of Tourism Development Department Salinah binti Haji Mohd Salleh and BAH President Mohammad Iswandi bin Maaruf.
According to the acting director of the Tourism Development Department, the agreement of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) was signed in 2012 to facilitate the mobility of tourism professionals; exchange information on best practices in competency-based education and training; and provide opportunities for cooperation and capacity building across the ASEAN member states.
She added that the agreement was a “stepping stone for the tourism industry in Brunei Darussalam to reach further betterment and level of excellence, especially the hotels and related tourism stakeholders”.
The programme was conducted by two ASEAN master tourism trainers from Indonesia, Dr I Gede Darmawijaya and Muhammad bin Hamdani.
Participants learnt about the essence of competency based training and competency based assessment. It also provided an opportunity to update knowledge and acquire industry-current front office skills, based on the ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals (ACCSTP) standards.
Participants, with knowledge and skills will play a crucial role in the national trainers programme.
The permanent secretary presented certificates to the participants. The ceremony also saw four best participants receiving awards.
