NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 19 — The Government has challenged the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers And Caterers (KAHC) to engage the National Industry Training Authority (NITA) in a bid to develop a solid recovery action plan for the sector.
Speaking at a symposium convened by KAHC, Labour and Social Protection Chief Administrative Secretary, Jackson Kalla, urged players in the tourism sector to identify skill gaps in the industry as a key intervention to drive growth.
He challenged hoteliers to conduct skill audits to identify skill gaps in the industry.
While encouraging the partnership, he urged members of the industry to work with NITA to develop a curriculum that addresses the needs of the industry while underscoring the importance of the Recognition of Prior Learning framework by NITA. This he said, was a move to acknowledge the importance of the informal labor sector.
“The government has come up with ways to tap in the skills of those with no formal education. Here the experience also matters in terms of being absorbed into the job,” he said.
Kalla acknowledged containment measures put in place by the government to curb COVID-19 infections adversely affected various sectors of the economy, with the tourism industry being one of the hardest-hit sectors.
He said that although the industry had been hard hit, it is critical that players in the sector learn from the COVID-19 experience in order to build resilience.
Kallas’ sentiments were echoed by KAHC CEO and NITA Board Director, Mike Macharia.
Macharia emphasized the need for tourism stakeholders to plug in and develop innovative strategies to rebuild the tourism sector in all spheres.
He noted that although the industry was significantly affected since the outbreak of the pandemic, players in the sector enhanced their investments in the local market.
“If 70 per cent of Kenyans are consumers, we can survive any tragedy. It will take about four years for the hotels to recover because maintaining hotels is expensive. But the majority of workers have gone back to work and are earning as per their contracts,” said Macharia.
