By Yunus S Saliu
At least three hundred and fifty students of Class 2020 Thursday, 24th December, 2020 graduated from the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI) after successful completion of their courses.
The areas of their academic courses included Rooms Division, Professional Cookery and Food and Beverage Services.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held in the school premises, Daouda Niang, Director General of GTHI congratulated the students and assured them that the VET certificate awarded to them is a significant tool in their life “which will open many doors of opportunity for anyone who is lucky to have it as well as use it effectively.”
Since the school’s first graduation in December 2015, the institute has registered tremendous achievements to become first to reckoned with not only in the country but in neighboring countries as well.
In his message he echoed that “we did it, this is no doubt a giant step in the journey of our lives, we all work hard to get to this day, and our efforts did not go to waste.”
The DG, in jubilant mood, expressed that with the current coronavirus pandemic around the globe, it has been very challenging for institute and students as “we started in May but have to stop because of Covid-19 and come back after months. With the Covid-19 unsolicited break, everything was at a standstill.”
With all the storms, he said 100 students graduated in rooms division, 124 in professional cookery and 116 in food and beverage services all for both foundation and certificate levels.
He noted that at begin, the institute recruited 400 students for the program – foundation and certificate levels and 200 among the 400 were sponsored by the International Trade Centre (ITC) through Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) and funded by the European Union (EU), while the other 200 wer normal intake trained through the support of the Gambia government through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MoTC).
He therefore advised the graduated students saying graduation is not the end of goal in itself instead “it is part of the larger journey of life. So, wherever your future takes you, let it take you somewhere you can improve your life and play an important role in the socio economic development of others around you.”
He added further that graduation should serve as such a launching point that will project them wherever their futures are meant to take them whether they land themselves a job, start their own business or further their education.
DG Niang expressed gratitude on behalf of GTHI board of directors and management to ITC, YEP, EU and MoTC for their supports to GTHI and in an extension to the dedicated academic staff who have been working so hard with very long hours to make sure that the programs complete on time.
Fatou Mbenga Jallow, Project Coordinator of YEP expressed that her office valued the existing partnership between YEP and GTHI project funded by EU emergency fund for Africa.
She noted that over the years, through the partnership, lots of young people have been able to acquired skills in tourism and hospitality industry.
She emphasized that through their partners they have supported the GTHI to be able to extend its training to the upcountry – CRR, NBR and LRR and “this is really important because it is keys to young people who are in the rural areas because it is an opportunity to them to also learn the skills in off GTHI campus in Greater Banjul Area.”
Hopeful, she said, in the next two years GTHI would be able to reach other regions in the country, “again we really proud of what the GTHI has been able to really register through our partnership and to you students that are graduating today.”
Modou Touray, Technical Adviser and Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of YEP noted that YEP target skill areas that have potential of high employments.
In YEP gap analyses, he said it was noted that demands in tourism and hospitality are in the sector, thereby they now training youth in the first place there is a high potential for them to be employed.
Other things he said they have grant programs in which YEP support the young people to be able to establish their own businesses, this graduating students “can apply for grant as this will help them to buy equipment, tools to use in other to have their own small businesses of the skill area they have been trained.”
The graduation was attended by representatives from NCAC, GTBoard, MoBSE officials of GTHI and family and friends of the graduated students
