In this new section, we will be highlighting new initiatives, updates on programs and information on what MTEC staff members are doing out and about in the community…
Shannon Fontaine, CEO is excited to announce two new programs!
MTEC is now offering two new one-day workshops customized for hotels, restaurants and other businesses in the tourism industry, which will assist them in generating new business.
“Full Limit Selling for Owners and Managers” provides participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to produce a plan to operate a business at full capacity. “Full Limit Selling for Front Line Staff” provides participants with a solid sales orientation and the role of beliefs on individual performance.
Both workshops provide a combination of structured review and analysis, facilitated discussion and idea generation, and practical hands-on selling tools and techniques,
which are intended to provide an action plan to move forward and increase the current benchmark level of performance towards the goal of Full Limit Selling.
“In a difficult economy, sales always suffer. It is critical for all businesses to be constantly seeking new customers as well as providing exceptional customer service to maintain existing customers. Combining Sales, Human Resource and Customer Service training to your managers is a way to be proactive in acquiring and keeping staff and customers!”
Currently MTEC has several projects underway that have received government funding to subsidize their training costs. The good news in a bad economy is that there are more training dollars available to assist employers in retaining their existing staff, which results in a more professional, empowered staff and reduced turn-over.
One of the projects that we have just completed was the first phase of training for the Radisson Hecla Oasis Resort. The Radisson currently has a training program for their staff and managers but are being pro-active is providing additional training, knowing that training is an on-going process and there are always different perspectives and ideas for improvement.
Along with our new initiatives, we are offering self employment training in Eastern Manitoba. We will be teaching Aboriginal people, who want to start their own small enterprise in the tourism industry, how to start and operate their own venture. Participants will receive a combination of classroom training on the development of a business as well as one on one counselling to assist them in putting together a business plan and get their business operational. Tourism Essentials training, which teaches essential employability skills required for entry level positions in the tourism industry, will also be a valuable component of the project.
For more information on “Full Limit Selling” or the Self Employment Training, please contact Shannon Fontaine directly at 957-7437 or sfontaine@mtec.mb.ca
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MTEC Job Board
With over 1000 monthly visits to our website, MTEC encourages you to take advantage of Manitoba’s first Hospitality & Tourism Job Board.
All hospitality & tourism employers within Manitoba can place recruitment ads for FREE.
To post a job, please follow these easy steps:
log-in or create a user profile, by clicking here
Submit your job posting by completing applicable areas
Administrator will approve the job posting within two business days at which time it will then be displayed on the job board
or
Click Here to view jobs already posted
If you have any questions, please contact Fiona McIntyre at tourismcareers@mtec.mb.ca or 204-957-7437.
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Congratulations!
MTEC would like to congratulate the York Factory Learning Institute and its students for their successful completion of the emerit Hunting Guide and Freshwater Angling Guide Occupational Knowledge exam.
Thank you to both Ron and Dean for providing assistance, training and administering the exams.
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Tourism Westman – 6th Annual Tribute to Tourism Awards Gala
MTEC would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners at the Tourism Westman Tribute to Tourism Awards Gala, held at the Canad Inns, Brandon on June 3, 2009.
Awards were presented in 6 categories. And the winners were:
Marketing- Brandon First
Service Excellence – Prairie Seasons Bakery
Volunteer of the Year – Lionel Laval
Product Development – Miniota-Archie Economic Development
Partnership – Minnedosa Japanese Gardens Committee, University of Manitoba Faculty of Landscape Architecture
Aspiring Youth – Jordan Ross
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The Skills Canada Manitoba Restaurant Service Competition
Kaely Wiebe of Red River College has returned from the 2009 National Skills competition with great memories and new found experience. Although Kaely did not receive a medal, we are proud of her hard work and determination. The National Skills Competition was held in Charlottetown, P.E.I. and saw a variety of skilled trades compete in a two day Olympic style event. The gold medal recipients from the National Competition will head to Calgary in September of this year to compete in the World Skills competition.
Best of luck to all the students competing!
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Upload your "SPOT" on the CTC's website!
Dear Travel Manitoba partners: We want to advise you of a great new opportunity from the Canadian Tourism Commission to upload a photo of a unique Manitoba place or "spot" on their new website, free of charge. The CTC has recently launched a new website as part of their domestic marketing campaign with the goal of sharing locals' unknown places with fellow Canadians to inspire them to explore their country. Click here for a link to the new website. On this website you have the opportunity to upload your unique Manitoba spot. Anyone can upload a spot and a short description, following the CTC's requirements. To increase the chances of your spot being posted, please review the attached requirements. Keep in mind that: It should be a spot most people have never heard of Make sure your spot isn't already posted on the site All spots are reviewed before they are added to the site To upload your spot, pleasevisit here. We also encourage you to advise your clients of this opportunity to upload their own spot, to rate other Manitoba spots currently on the website and to submit a comment on other Manitoba experiences. Every spot that you or your clients upload will qualify for a chance to win 1,000,000 Aeroplan Miles.
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emerit invites you to be a champion!
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Canadian HR Reporter
5/18/2009
Experiential learning at work
High school co-op programs give employers opportunity to engage future workers
By Jon Hamovitch and Tom Flanagan
Before the global recession hit, major labour force developments were threatening Canadian employers’ abilities to recruit and retain the workers needed for organizations to grow and thrive.
In the new economic reality, these looming challenges may have been temporarily overshadowed, but it would be a mistake to think they have disappeared altogether. Canada’s workforce continues to age towards retirement at an alarming rate, with workers aged 55 to 64 expected to constitute nearly one-half of the country’s labour force by as early as 2015. And the nature of work itself continues to become more complex — by 2016, 70 per cent of all jobs are expected to require post-secondary education, according to a 2007 report by the Canadian Council on Learning.
There are steps organizations of every size can and should take to develop the next generation of workers. Experiential learning programs, such as co-operative education, job shadowing, mentoring and youth apprenticeship programs, are not new but offer new value during a market downturn. As cost-effective alternatives for recruiting, retaining and training young workers, these programs provide employers with an early opportunity to engage future workers, expose them to unfamiliar career options and help them acquire essential workplace skills and experience.
Ultimately, experiential learning gives students first-hand exposure to different jobs to help them determine important life considerations: career goals and aspirations; post-secondary education and training; and options for full-time employment.
There is an experiential learning solution for every business environment, ranging from 15-minute classroom visits to formal placements, such as co-op and the youth apprenticeship programs. As an example, Partners in Experiential Learning gives co-op students from 39 London, Ont.-area high schools a chance to receive hands-on training and experience in advanced laboratories in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. Students also have the opportunity to attend seminars and lectures and participate in writing research papers.
The knowledge, skills and experience these students develop makes them highly employable. When choosing candidates for summer internships, many university faculty members prefer students who have completed the program over other undergraduates.
In Ontario, the provincial government has taken steps to expand the number and quality of these opportunities. All school boards in the province are required to offer school-work programs to interested students, and high school students can now include up to two co-op credits as part of the 18 mandatory credits for their secondary school diploma.
Ontario’s Ministry of Education has also introduced the Specialist High Skills Majors program, which offers high school students the option to graduate with a diploma and a specialty in the theory and practical training relevant to a particular industry sector, such as: forestry; mining; information and communications technology; arts and culture; and business.
The program also provides students with seven sector-recognized certifications and training, including: health and safety; fall protection; scaffold safety; chainsaw safety; and personal protective equipment in construction. These certifications give students a particular competitive advantage when they are entering the workforce, as certification processes are often expensive and generally paid for by employers.
For the last decade in Ontario, the Passport to Prosperity initiative has supported educators and employers in creating experiential learning opportunities for high school students. Administered in partnership with the provincial government, business leaders, educators and local training boards and business-education councils, the initiative is delivered by co-ordinators across the province.
A website (www.employerregistry.ca) allows employers to register interest in providing experiential learning programs — and, to date, more than 1,000 employers have done so.
Jon Hamovitch and Tom Flanagan are co-chairs of the Provincial Partnership Council, comprising leaders from business, industry, education and government who oversee the Passport to Prosperity initiative to expand experiential learning opportunities for Ontario high school students. For more information, visit www.class2careers.com or call (416) 440-5110.
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Why get involved?
Benefits for employers
Competition for quality employees starts before they enter the workforce. Companies that build student relationships early will be rewarded with future employees who understand their needs. There are opportunities available to fit any employer’s needs, big or small, such as career talks, job shadowing or project-based learning. And students look to employers for a chance to prove themselves in real-life work settings. Here are some advantages:
Builds the talent pool
• Increases the number of better-trained, better-prepared workers.
• Provides the skilled workers needed for today’s competitive market.
• Attracts youth to industry sectors facing skill shortages.
• Brings fresh, new ideas and perspectives into the workplace.
• Builds the leadership and interpersonal skills of a company’s existing team.
Makes economic sense
• Cost-efficient, effective means of training a future workforce.
• Cost-efficient, low-risk method of recruiting.
• Builds company’s reputation as an “employer of choice.”
• Enhances curriculum when employers and schools work together to integrate classroom and workplace learning.
• Economic development and growth flourish with a well-trained, skilled labour force.
Source: Passport to Prosperity
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Did you know that Manitoba’s three Gold Level CATT (Canadian Academy of Travel & Tourism) High schools have a work placement requirement of 250 hours, and that the Level 1 & 2 schools also have requirements for work placement hours as well? Are you looking to tap into this future workforce? MTEC regularly makes presentations to high schools informing students of the benefits of having a career in tourism. If you would like more information on these opportunities, please call Lori @ 957-7437 or community@mtec.mb.ca
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To Be Distinctive, Be Different
There are many ways for a business to ‘stand out from the crowd’. One approach is to give your customers more of what they ask for. If others are fast, you go faster. If others are clean, you be cleaner. If others are cheap, you can discount deeper. If your competitors offer a lot, you offer even more.
This approach has obvious problems. First, your top position can be overtaken by anyone else offering ‘even more’. Second, the cost of escalation can become overwhelming. You need happy customers but healthy profits, too.
A different approach is worth your time and effort: Find completely new and different ways to surprise, intrigue, support, nurture and delight your customers.
For example, international airlines compete on big seats, quality service, good wine and movies. But Virgin Atlantic was first to offer neck and shoulder massages on all long-distance flights. They stand out in the airline crowd.
Most quick-service restaurants provide clean counters, fast delivery and low prices. But McDonald’s put enormous, colorful slides for children inside their restaurant buildings. McDonald’s french fries are made from potatoes, much like everyone else’s. Their play space stands out in the fast-food crowd.
How many times have you left your tube of toothpaste wet, wrinkled and gooey on the bathroom sink? Procter & Gamble helped solve the problem with the first standup toothpaste tube. Their toothpaste container stands out from the crowd.
The Garden Café in Dubai serves many customers who are bachelors, always on the move and short of time. So the Café provides a lunch and dinner buffet of good food and drinks, but also irons your shirts and shines your shoes while you eat!
You can do this, too. (Stand out from the crowd, not the laundry.)
Key Learning Point
Anyone can compete by doing ‘more’ of what’s already expected. But there’s another way to be distinctive: Be different!
Action Steps
Make a list of all the ‘usual ways’ your organization offers good customer service. Now think of totally different ways you could surprise, intrigue or delight.
What bothers your customers? How can you fix it? What do they do before or after your service? How can you integrate it? What do they bring, carry or take away? How can you replace it?
The first bookstore to offer plush chairs and fresh coffee changed the industry completely. The first bank that offered drive-through service transformed our expectations. What can YOU do to stand out, stand up – be different?
Copyright, Ron Kaufman. Used with permission.
Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed customer service training educator for quality service. He is author of the bestselling series "UP Your Service!" and founder of "UP Your Service College". To enjoy more customer service training articles, visit www.RonKaufman.com and www.UpYourService.com
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A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.
Mahatma Gandhi
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