RWANDAS TOURISM UNIVERSITY COLLEGE NOW ABLE TO OFFER DEGREE COURSES
Started in 2006, when the college could only offer vocational training and certificate or diploma courses, the RTUC has now been cleared by the Rwandan educational authorities to commence a full degree programme, starting with a Bachelor Degree course for students now studying hospitality and tourism.
The college has more recently acquired new land to build a campus at an estimated cost of more than 10 billion Rwanda Francs, which when complete will form a key component in the countrys drive to inject greater home grown professionalism into the tourism and hospitality sector, where the lack of skills has often been decried. .
A regular source at the Rwanda Development Board had this to say: Manpower development for the sector ranks very high in the national agenda for Rwanda. The country is aware of some deficits here and there to lift our service delivery to the standard levels of say Kenya. But the private and public sectors have been working hand in hand to address this issue and bring in trainers and lecturers, promote on the job training and offer decentralized courses so that we can match our countrys tourism attractions with equally good service levels.
A number of privately owned tourism training institutions have of late either opened or applied for recognition and licenses to provide in years to come skilled labour to an ever growing number of hotels and safari lodges now springing up along the scenic lake shores of Lake Kivu or near the countrys presently three national parks of Akagera, Nyungwe Forest and Volcanoes. Watch this space.
4 Responses
I wish all countries in East Africa could value the lucrative sector in the same way. Some even can not do enough to even to uplift their image despite the great potential. Shame upon us!
Hope for better times ahead and change where you can change things.
Thanks for reading my blog.
W.
Congratulations to Rwanda Tourism University on their success. It is fundamental to the discipline of tourism and hospitality that scholarship be encouraged. The first step is to recognise that the vocational – cognitive continuum is progressive, and not exclusive. Each benefits from the learning strategies of the other. The second step is to have a Quality Assurance and Enhancement programme in place. the third step is to ensure a body of highly qualified staff is in place to continue the scholarly development towards research and higher degrees.
Thank you for your informed input on this article and for continuing to read my blog.
W.