The Need for a Human Resources Development Officer for the Tourism Industry on the West Coast: A Discussion

Rhodda, S. PhD

Tai Poutini Polytechnic

2006

Tai Poutini Polytechnic

Sandra Rhodda, contact information and profile, The New Zealand Tourism Research Institute at AUT: www.nztri.org/sandra-rhodda

Tai Poutini Polytechnic Greymouth contact information: http://tpp.ac.nz/contact.php

This report addresses the problems of unemployment, and staff recruitment, retention, education, and training in the tourism industry on the West Coast. Recommendations that a Human Resources Development Officer (HRO) be employed are supported. Such an HRO could design a strategy and operate a programme to find workers regionally, nationally and globally and place them in local tourism businesses where they are desperately needed. Such a Tourism Human Resources Strategy (THRS) should aim for eventual self-sufficiency partly supported as a user pay system. The aim would be to develop and promote a systematic and coordinated approach to human resources planning, research, education and training in the tourism industry. The THRS could address key labour market issues by building on the consultation that has already occurred between West Coast tourism businesses, private and public stakeholders, labour interests, associations, educators and local and national governments in order to co-ordinate human resource development activities and contribute to a sustainable, globally competitive tourism sector.

Research into the present and future staffing needs, habits, and practices in the industry would build on existing knowledge. Cooperative relationships with Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) as main provider locally of tourism and hospitality training could be strengthened in order to build labour skills and transform largely unskilled seasonal jobs into permanent employment prospects. Research into the use of offshore workers, and into work/education exchange programmes with northern hemisphere educational institutes and TPP should be researched and developed cooperatively with TPP. The resulting more cohesive, integrated, goal oriented, and better-educated and better-staffed industry would convert the West Coast to a major destination for skilled tourism workers, and those wishing to upskill.

Keywords:

Tourism, West coast, Workforce, Tourism operators, Commercial, Staff, Impact

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June 27, 2012