Ecuador: The Next Generation Travel Professionals (electrical engineering)

September 29th, 2008 admin Posted in careers |

By Peter Lauffer

Very often I hear about new tourism related businesses who open their doors somewhere in the country. The various careers in tourism who can be studied at the local universities are in very high demand by students, who just finished their college.

In Ecuador, tourism is often considered an easy way to earn money. For this reason, new tourism businesses are created carefree and its owners seem to have excellent intentions at the beginning.

Because Ecuadorians are excellent hosts, most people think that to receive a foreign visitor is the same easy thing as to receive a good friend. Unfortunately is this perception not always right.

Sad to say that the very low level of education, combined with a practically non existing quality control from the authorities, let fail a lot of the newly created businesses. This situation often leaves disappointed investors alone with a big whole in their finances.

Too much amateurism is reigning in Ecuador’s touristic education. Beginning with the universities who teach tourism careers without any practical knowledge from the sector. There are different tourism careers available, but there are no studies about how many professionals are needed in each career.

The reality today is that a graduated has a title in tourism, but has in fact very little technical and practical knowledge about his profession. As an example, how can it be explained that in Ecuador students have to learn 2 foreign languages at the same time, often instructed by teachers who don’t even have a diploma in the language they instruct.

After graduation, the universities leave their students very often without the foreign language skills needed to start successful a career.

Other educational problems occur because most of the teachers have never worked in tourism, and most of them don’t even have the necessary contacts who would help them to know what the expectations from the industry and their employers are.

Another deficiency is that there are no controls of the graduation process itself, that means the final “tests” are controlled totally by the universities themselves. The instructors of each discipline “test” their own students.

This process opens doors for corruption and there is absolutely no control in which quality and quantity the tested knowledge was transmitted to the student.

This inadequate education in tourism has not only the effect that lots of graduates don’t find a study related job after they have their diploma, it is often a frustration for their family too.

The family often invests a lot of money in the academic work of their child, in the meaning that he or she should have a better life afterwords. If the graduated does’t find a job in his career, the family is often very disappointed because years of saved money seems to be invested badly.

The practical part of a career should be learned in a well coordinated and organized training in career related businesses. Business owners should be motivated to employ trainees, and to take the time to introduce them to the practical part of their career.

There should be exact plans for every trainee what to do in a company, depending on the level of their studies. The practical work should be, of course, part of the final qualification.

A nice side effect for the participating company would be to have an interesting possibility to pre-select future employees.

For the Ecuadorian tourism industry should it be a priority to ensure an excellent education for future professionals.

Only this way the tourism in Ecuador can have a healthy growth in future.

More and more good trained young people have to be involved in our interesting industry. They help to ensure an excellent reputation of Ecuador in the world and ensure an excellent standard of living for themselves and all of us.

Peter Lauffer, General Manager of TrueColors

Travel in Quito - Your Expert Guide for Galapagos Cruise Travel at www.galapagostraveller.com

The Do’s and Don’ts of Changing Careers
By Tony Jacowski

Changing your career will require careful planning and determination. Before you make the leap to another job, let’s first take a look at the do’s and don’ts of a career change.

Here Are the Do’s

DO Jot down a plan for a change in your career. Be clear and honest with yourself as to what you want and where you want to be. Clearly think about what you are passionate about, where your interests lie and come up with a strategic plan. Be confident and project yourself positively.

DO Research the field you are interested in getting into. Ask yourself if you are ready to take on new duties and responsibilities. You need to put a lot of effort into executing your plan.

DO get some advice for the career change from experienced professionals. There are many books in the market that can guide you during this stage in your life. You can seek out for a mentor who can point you in the right direction.

Changing a career is a challenge and must be undertaken carefully.

DO get a part-time job in the field you wish to enter while you are still with your current employer. Doing so will help you learn and understand more about the new field and if you really have what it takes to succeed in it.

By doing this, you will get a clear and better understanding of the work and expectations of that field. You can also take a course that will give you in-depth knowledge about your new career. By taking a part-time job and an educational course, you will gather both knowledge and experience that will help you land a better job.

DO Get in touch with people in the same line of work. Increase your professional network by attending events and letting people know about your search. While doing so, let people know that you are looking for a job within that field.

Once you are sure what kind of job will suit you best, DO start looking for top employers in that industry. Gather as much information as possible. Tailor your resume towards this new industry.

When you are looking to change careers, you need to focus more on your skills as well as convince the potential employer that you will be an asset to their organization.

Here Are The Don’ts:

DON’T make a career change because your friends or colleagues have. Give careful consideration to your motivation for changing careers. Never make a change because you do not get along with your colleagues or boss.

DON’T let insecurity hold you back from exploring a new career. Do not forget to take the advantage of your previous qualifications and work experiences. Also, don’t make the change if you are not sure about it

After considering the above do’s and don’ts you will find it easy to make your decision. It will require hard work and determination - but you can be successful!

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

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