This November 2nd 2020, new tourism as well as a practical training facility was inaugurated in the Vang Vieng campus by the Vientiane Province Technical College. It is called The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant which aims to provide a modern training environment and hone practical skills to tourism and hospitality students together with the teachers.
The Introduction of The Academy Training Hotel & Restaurant in Vang Vieng
It is a multi-purpose construction of six guestrooms and a 32-seat restaurant with services supplied by tourism and hospitality students. Last June 2019, the €500,000-project started to break ground and took 12 months to complete.
The Vientiane Province Technical College is also being assisted by the Skills for Tourism Project to establish and fit out the operational systems which are needed to run the practical training facility and build the management capacity to operate the facility in a sustainable manner.
The Effects of The Academy Training Hotel & Restaurant in Vang Vieng
The new training facility’s opening happens at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacting Vang Vieng – the popular destinations of Laos Tours. “Although having been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lao PDR will continue to aim for excellence in the provision of technical education and vocational. This training facility highlights that resolve,” said Mr. Nouphan Outsa - Director-General of the Technical Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Sports
Stressing the tourism sector’s proven ability to recover from adversity, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Luxembourg Sam Schreiner reiterated that the donors’ shared vision behind the practical training facility remains unchanged: “improved access to work-relevant education, highly sought-after graduates and standards on par with those expected of an attractive ASEAN travel destination.”
Christian Engler, Deputy Director of Cooperation and Head of Employment and Skills Domain, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, commented: “The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant represents an important milestone illustrating the fruitful and lasting collaboration between Lao PDR, the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, which will ultimately facilitate the resurgence of a deeply impacted but resilient tourism and hospitality sector.”
As part of her remarks at the opening ceremony, Minister of Education and Sports, Mme Sengdeuane Lachanthaboune, added that “By giving students exposure to a real service environment at the Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant, Vientiane Province Technical College will improve the quality of education, as well as ensure that graduates of tourism and hospitality courses acquire the knowledge and skills demanded by the industry”.
The establishment of the training facility builds on the Skills for Tourism Project’s aim of improving training facilities and standards of technical vocational colleges in Lao PDR. The Vientiane Province Technical College is currently offering two-year programs in tourism and hospitality that lead to a Diploma in Restaurant Operations or a Diploma in Travel and Tourism. There are over 130 students who enrolled in the academic year 2019, with a similar amount expected to enroll in 2020. The college also offers shorter courses in tourism and hospitality that lead to C1 accreditation.
Once in operations, The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant expects to welcome Vang Vieng locals and tourists taking advantage of the Lao Thiao Lao domestic tourism marketing campaign and the soon to be inaugurated expressway.
The construction and fitting out of the Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant are co-financed by the Governments of Lao PDR, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR and the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency (LuxDev).
