By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa has urged secondary school teachers to venture into tourism as a career which is a multidimensional industry.
Kangiwa who made the called at the opening ceremony of the second phase of ‘Train the Trainer’ program organized by the Institute for secondary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory, said tourism as a multifaceted skill enterprise offers lots of opportunities for those willing to delve into it as either entrepreneurs or career teachers and trainers in tourism subjects.
Represented at the occasion by Dr. Taiwo Famogbiyele, Director Research and Development of the Institute, Kangiwa noted further that the tourism subsectors offer such entrepreneurial skills and business opportunities as Tour Guiding, Tour Operations, Travel Agency Operations, Cabin Crew, Gardens Operations, Events Management, Recreational Management Centres, Hospitality Management, Pastry and Cookery amongst a host of others, saying that one can also take up teaching career in the afore-mentioned tourism subsectors in both secondary and tertiary institutions as instructors and lecturers.
He commended the participants for choosing the training within the Federal Capital Territory and advised them to make judicious use of the knowledge and skills they will acquire to impact positively in improving the lots of the Nigerian Travel Tourism and Hospitality industry.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Edwin Enenta, Head of Department of the Travel Tourism Department of the Institute called on the trainees to remain focused and resilient in their chosen career as teachers of tourism subject in the schools so as to adequately nurture a generation of tourism enthusiasts and professional practitioners for the Nigerian tourism industry.
It would be recalled that the first phase of Train the Trainer program by the Institute began in September 2020 in its quest to advance the frontiers of tourism training and education in the country.
The hospitality agency initiated the teaching of tourism to teachers teaching tourism in secondary schools to support and enhance their skills and competency.
This initiative the agency said is further justified by the inclusion of tourism into the secondary school curriculum and as a WAEC examination subject.
