An Act for the establishment of a Chartered Institute for tourism and hospitality is underway for the country in order to enhance professional practice and achieve improved service delivery in the industry.
Disclosing this to newsmen in Abuja, National President of the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria [ITPN], Chief Abiodun Odusanwo said the establishment of a Chartered Institute for the sector was long overdue if the industry is to operate with the efficiency and effectiveness desirous of the sector in line with best global practices.
Chief Odusanwo who highlighted that the Chartered Institute as a body of the sector will step up efforts at raising the bar of professional competence and upgrade level of quality of products and service delivery of practitioners and personnel in the industry, thereby achieve greater growth and development for the sector.
‘The strength and quality of an industry sector is measured by the professional competence of personnel manning the sector’ Odusanwo noted, adding that the importance of a chartered in a professional practice is that ‘a Chartered Professional is ‘a person who has gained a specific level of skill or competence in a particular field of work, recognized by the award of a formal credential from a reputable professional body’ which the Chartered Institute for tourism and hospitality in Nigeria is meant to pilot and achieve for the industry.
He said the existence of the chartered body will go a long way in instilling the culture of self-development, self-worth and self-upgrade in training and re-training for personnel so as to be awarded a Chartered status, stressing that this further means that individuals must demonstrate such qualities as; the highest levels of technical and professional knowledge and competence, commitment to keeping their knowledge and skills up-to-date through continuing professional development and ethical conduct through adherence to an industry code of ethics enforced through disciplinary sanctions, which also sums up a chartered status requirements as Competence, Knowledge and Ethical Behaviour.
The President further urged both industry operators and practitioners to see the establishment of the Chartered body as a platform that will provide them with the basis for career advancement and promotion to higher cadre levels of progression in service while in the same vein, bring about improved quality of service delivery.
He allayed fears been entertained in some quarters within the industry of clash of policy interest and operations, as well as power lop-lopsidedness and usurpation of positions as totally unfounded, noting that the proposed Chartered Institute will be established by an Act of the National Assembly and therefore cannot be owned or monopolized by any individual but rather, it will be governed by a Council with the leadership of succession of the body to be also appointed and approved by the Council.
He therefore appealed to the generality of key players and critical stakeholders to see the quest for the establishment of the Chartered Institute of Tourism and Hospitality of Nigeria as a good omen aimed at re-positioning the industry for better performance, enhanced service delivery and maintaining true professionalism in the sector with the out-casting of quackery within the membership fold of the sector and thus entrench the dignity and ethical values of the profession to be reckoned with globally.
Our Correspondent
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