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Hospitality excellence at heart

The participants of the current Gondwana Training Academy (back, ltr): Maria Mvula (Gondwana junior trainer), Israel Thele, Renate Khoagoses, Philip Reyher, Norbert Machipisa, Titus Angula; (front) Dolores Rooi, Annie Theron, Ina Neumbo, Paulina Likango, Millicent Kheimseb, Ume Goldbeck (training consultant).

The Gondwana Training Academy has kicked off its second mobile training programme which will be conducted during the whole month of September. Ten employees have been invited, among them the senior personnel of the new Gondwana hotel The Delight Swakopmund which will open its doors on 1 November.

For 10 days, the participants are visiting the lodges in the Gondwana Canyon Park. On their way back to Windhoek they will stop over at the Kalahari Anib Lodge. The training programme will continue at the Gondwana Travel Centre in Windhoek.
The focus, among other things, is on the Gondwana philosophy, the company structure and management, ethical values, customer service and leadership qualities. The programme has been tailored to the needs of the Gondwana group of companies. Working as a team and in a group is the core of the training strategy. Training consultant Ume Goldbeck accompanies the group on its tour to the lodges.
“The success of a company is relying heavily on the employees who are working for it. Gondwana offers their employees the opportunity to discover their potential and develop it to the fullest. Hospitality, helpfulness and warmth are of utmost importance in the tourism industry. Such characteristics develop in a natural way when employees are passionate about their work,” she said.
The mobile Training Academy is a temporary solution until Gondwana Collection launches its stationary Academy in January 2017. Based in Stampriet at the Kalahari Farmhouse, the Academy will provide training for eight months of the year. For the remaining four months it will open to guests, who will be hosted by the trainees, giving them the opportunity to apply their training and gain valuable hands-on experience.
While the Academy is initially aimed at increasing the skills of Gondwana staff, the intention at a later stage is to also provide training for people aspiring to work in the hospitality industry and to be a source of leadership development for service professionals wanting to further their skills. The Academy’s hospitality training and leadership development programme aims to provide service excellence, promoting Namibia as a top African tourist destination.

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