During Vacation Job
WILLEMSTAD – August 6, 2024 – Recently, a total of 22 students received their participation certificates in the first edition of the Youth Tourism Experience (YTE) Program organized by the Curaçao Tourist Board in close cooperation with 12 companies in the tourism industry. The goal of the YTE program is to familiarize young people between the ages of 15 and 17 with the growing tourism and hospitality industry. During the first edition of the YTE, the students had the opportunity to experience what it’s like to work in the tourism and hospitality industry during a 3-week vacation job. The program concluded with a pleasant ceremony where the Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Ruisandro Cijntje and the Counterpart Director of the CTB, Mr. Muryad de Bruin, presented certificates to the 22 young participants.
The first edition of the YTE program ran from June 26 to August 6 and began with a ‘Meet & Greet’ tour, during which the students got acquainted with all the companies that were part of YTE. This allowed them to ask questions and learn more about the type of work each company performs. Additionally, the students attended 3 days of workshops as preparation for their vacation job in the tourism and hospitality industry. The workshops covered the following topics: communication and professional behavior, customer experience and dress code, money management, discipline, and self-management. At the end of the vacation job, the students participated in an evaluation session where they discussed their experiences, what went well, what did not go as planned, and how they plan to apply the knowledge gained in their future student and job careers.
The companies that participated in the first edition of YTE are: Avila Beach Hotel, San Marco Hotel, Dolphin Academy, Serena’s Art Factory, Brion City Hotel, Curaçao Ports Authority, TUI, Atlantis/FBTT, Fiesta Tours, Kunuku Aqua Resort, Coral Estate Luxury Resort, Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort, and CTB. CTB expresses gratitude to each company that opened their doors so that together we can inspire more students to pursue studies in the field of tourism and hospitality and eventually choose a career in this industry.
