HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND TOURISM March 23, 1995 3:05 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Beverly Masek, Chairman Representative Alan Austerman, Vice Chairman Representative Pete Kott Representative Brian Porter MEMBERS ABSENT Representative Jeannette James Representative Irene Nicholia Representative Caren Robinson COMMITTEE CALENDAR Presentation: Need for Education and Training in Field of Alaska Tourism WITNESS REGISTER JAY KANDAMPULLY, Ph.D. Alaska Institute of Tourism School of Management University of Alaska, Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK 99775 Phone: 474-5527 POSITION STATEMENT: Presented Need for Education and Training in Field of Alaska Tourism ACTION NARRATIVE TAPE 95-6, SIDE A Number 006 The House Special Committee on International Trade and Tourism was called to order by Chairman Beverly Masek at 3:05 p.m. Members present at the call to order were Representatives Masek, Austerman, Kott and Porter. Members absent were Representatives James, Nicholia and Robinson. Number 085 DR JAY KANDAMPULLY, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA, FAIRBANKS, testifying from Fairbanks, noted the two points he would address which were education and training. Related issues stemming from those two topics are quality, marketing and management. Before going any further he began to outline his background. Number 136 DR. KANDAMPULLY volunteered information regarding the Alaska Institute of Tourism (AIT), which he established at the School of Management at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF). It is a non-profit institute that serves the Alaska tourism industry and the communities. To determine needs, he interviewed managers and owners of tourism and related businesses. This research pointed to the immediate and crucial need for training and education in order to improve the quality of service we offer to visitors, and to increase job opportunities for Alaskan citizens. The majority of people involved or entering into the tourism business have little or no experience, expertise or understanding about the business, the industry or the customer. DR. KANDAMPULLY feels education and training are the fundamental backbone tools to the tourism industry development. The state needs to consider fundamental approaches to move the tourism development process in Alaska into the next stage. He separated the needs into three stages: Educational need; training need; and management, marketing and quality issues. There is serious concern about the quality of service that the state provides and the level of satisfaction created for the visitors. The importance of service personnel, their skills, and personality traits outweigh any other aspect from the visitor's perspective. DR. KANDAMPULLY said tourism education and training needs to start at the high school level when career interests begin to formulate and before students decide not to continue higher education. He added people need tools which they can immediately apply. Tourism is an area which many people enter into as a transitional stage or on a part-time basis, i.e. a student. For these reasons, tourism education and training becomes crucial because those are the people that probably have no interest in making tourism a career. Yet, they are the very people who are serving our visitors. We need a system supporting, promoting and connecting the industry needs to that of the programs within schools, colleges, technical institutions and the university. All these systems are currently in place, they just need to be interlinked to work together. Number 263 DR. KANDAMPULLY noted the people already working in the industry need to get training. Also, we do not currently have a system where the experience of the person is of importance or accredited into the education system. A statewide system will provide uniformity. Integration of education and training within the industry will foster recognition and utilization of such education and training by the business community. As industry experience becomes part of the education, employees within the industry will be inclined to undertake such combined education aiming for personal development . DR. KANDAMPULLY explained that he has been teaching a tourism program in a Fairbanks high school since February. North Star Borough School District has also adopted the program into their school curriculum. The program consists of theory and practical experience so it is vocational in nature. The theory portion addresses the culture, nature and attractions of Alaska. He also teaches technical skills like waitering and valuable reception skills, such as telephone answering, which they can use in tourism or any industry they choose to enter. He has managers who come in from the industry to sit in on classes to evaluate and help teach the students in different fields. That's the core part of his program. The second part of the program is the internship. The main purpose of the internship is to associate the students with the industry and for the industry to get to know the students. It is a very short summer internship. Number 311 DR. KANDAMPULLY announced that the school program has been accredited by the community college so any participants will receive six college credits. That may help to influence a youth to continue their education beyond high school and, thereby, achieve higher positions within the industry. This is a similar system like that utilized in European countries. REPRESENTATIVE BRIAN PORTER asked how many hours of instruction the students receive in the standard high school program, and if the program is administered during or outside of the school day. DR. KANDAMPULLY responded the total hours are 92; a full semester program. The schedule is 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. He added there are eight different school districts looking into this program and the Juneau school district has adopted it into the school curriculum which will start next spring. REPRESENTATIVE ALAN AUSTERMAN asked if Dr. Kandampully, himself, teaches the program in the Fairbanks high school and if so, then will the Juneau school district have their own teacher? DR. KANDAMPULLY replied that he does indeed teach the program in Fairbanks. In Juneau, they will have their own teacher and he will be helping them, the same way he has a school teacher in Fairbanks that co-teaches with him. However, this teacher only teaches about three classes, he teaches the rest. This is a concern the other school districts have raised. He plans to arrange a training program for teachers and individuals interested in getting involved with this education system. REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN pondered the costs involved in outfitting all the schools in the state with such a program. Number 385 DR. KANDAMPULLY affirmed the dilemma. To now, the school districts are footing the costs out of their own funds. He doesn't know how far or how long they'll be able to continue that. He mentioned that last week when he traveled to Ketchikan to teach, he was reimbursed for his plane fare only. He personally is dedicated to this program and has been and is willing to put his time and money into it. REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN posed questions regarding AIT. Does he have a separate budget for it, how big is it and how many people are involved? DR. KANDAMPULLY answered that it is just him and a student assistant. There is no budget for the institute. At present, Anchorage Cold Storage is financing it. REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN queried if he is working to obtain his own budget so he could actually train-the-trainer type of thing like the Division of Tourism is with the Alaska Host Program. DR. KANDAMPULLY stated he would prefer that. A benefit he has is the managers within the industry know his background and expertise and realize the quality of training the students are receiving is what they are looking for. He encourages teachers, who wish to be involved in this program, to work within the industry for a summer job, like an internship, to better understand the technical aspects and skills required. This will naturally lead to greater knowledge of the industry itself and provide healthy interaction between the industry and the educators. Number 440 CHAIRMAN MASEK inquired what the Division of Tourism is doing with respect to training. DR. KANDAMPULLY explained that he has approached many people and organizations within the industry yet, most don't have any type of training skills, training managers or any training approaches at all. They are interested in participating in training that he would arrange across the state. CHAIRMAN MASEK clarified her question as being what does the Division of Tourism currently use for training and how old is their plan? DR. KANDAMPULLY indicated that he knows of the Alaska Host Program and he is, in fact, one of the trainers. He went through the training program himself. Dr. Kandampully related that the program is 15 years old and was purchased from British Columbia 10 years ago. The way the system is set up is it is difficult for anyone to provide that training within that structure. There were no training sessions offered in Fairbanks for all of last year. There are so many other responsibilities and duties that the training falls to the wayside. Of the trainers that are available, many do not have sufficient knowledge, experience, background and understanding within in the industry in which they're to train. The Alaska Host Program addresses customer services, and the "norm" now is to exceed the customer expectations. Number 500 REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN elaborated on the Alaska Host Program. It is a customer service type training where one goes into an existing tourism business and ensures that their employees have the proper skills to greet and meet a customer and make the customer happy so that they want to return. There are no other programs within in the state that are educational towards the industry itself, and to show why one would like to be involved in the industry. DR. KANDAMPULLY interjected there are a couple other programs that have some of these aspects of all these things involved. However, because they are not interlinking, not complementary, the students who go through those programs come to a dead stand-still. There is nowhere else to advance. He referred to the places that conduct these programs, courses or classes, and said that is all they do and the training is not recognized by other institutions across the state. We need to take a broader perspective. As far as the customer training is concerned, he was referring not to the skill part of it rather, the personality skills in the aspect of "know-how" versus "know-why." He said he feels "know-why" is more important and brings out the creativity in the trainees/employees if they understand why something is done. Then when a dilemma occurs, they can draw on their own experience and creativity to remedy the situation. This has become a crucial issue as far as the quality of service is concerned. REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN divulged that the Alaska Host Program was created in Alaska about 20 years ago. It was run about one or two years, then dropped. Canada thought it was such a great program that they took it, refined it, and made it the good program that it is. Two years ago, Alaska woke up again, went to Canada and borrowed it back and that's how we're into the program. Number 557 ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the committee, CHAIRMAN MASEK adjourned the meeting at 3:50 p.m.