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.
“The CTO is deeply committed to tourism workforce development as a key strategic priority,” stated Sharon Banfield-Bovell, Director, Resource Mobilization & Development at the Caribbean Tourism Organization. “By reconnecting with Tourism HR Canada, we are able to pool our resources, share valuable data, and utilize cutting-edge tools to enhance the skills and capacity of our respective workforces. This collaboration not only strengthens our efforts to foster a more dynamic and competitive tourism sector but also aligns with Tourism HR Canada’s goals to drive innovation and excellence in their workforce. Together, we believe this partnership will create a more resilient and adaptive industry, benefiting our respective tourism workforces and the broader tourism community.”
The collaboration will entail:
- Information sharing: Each organization will build on decades of sharing labour 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 the other market—Canadian material in the Caribbean, and Caribbean material in Canada.
- Developing a new technology platform: The outcome 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 labour 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.”
Preliminary work is underway to act on the concepts outlined above.
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About Tourism HR Canada:
Tourism HR Canada is a pan-Canadian organization with a mandate aimed at building a world-leading tourism workforce. Tourism HR Canada facilitates, coordinates, and enables human resources development activities that support a globally competitive and sustainable industry and foster the development of a dynamic and resilient workforce. The organization works with the industry to attract, train, and retain valuable tourism professionals by giving them the tools and resources they need to succeed in their careers and entrepreneurial endeavours. For more information, visit TourismHR.ca.
About the Caribbean Tourism Organization:
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), headquartered in Barbados, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency, comprising membership of the region’s finest countries and territories, including Dutch-, English-, and French-speaking, as well as a range of private sector allied members. The CTO’s vision is to position the Caribbean as the most desirable, year-round, warm-weather destination, and its purpose is Leading Sustainable Tourism – One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean. Among the benefits to its members, the organization provides specialized support and technical assistance in sustainable tourism development, marketing, communications, advocacy, human resource development, event planning & execution, and research & information technology. For more information, visit OneCaribbean.org.