THE Republic of China (Taiwan) has given US$60,000 to the St Lucia government to finance a national tourism skills development programme.
Both Minister Allen Chastanet and Ambassador Ray Mou of the Republic of China (Taiwan) attended the presentation ceremony (see picture)last week at the Ministry for Economic Development, Housing, Urban Renewal, Civil Aviation.
Ambassador Mou said his government’s donation will go towards the facilitation of capacity building for hundreds of young persons from the rural communities, enabling them to obtain skills in the hospitality business.
Prime Minister Chastanet noted that there were new high-quality hotels under construction in St. Lucia. He said government expected to turn the country into a world class brand by ensuring the members of the hospitality industry possessed the necessary human resources with good skills. He also expressed thanks to Ambassador Mou and his government for the assistance.
Minister Guy Joseph of the Ministry of Economic Development also attended this ceremony and emphasized the need for stronger work ethics in the hospitality sector.
With the increase in the number of jobs that will be available, Ambassador Mou said he expected to see “this timely training programme” create more qualified human resources to fit into the tourism sector in the long run. He said it was his understanding that this partnership between Taiwan and St. Lucia was the first in hospitality human resource training.