Executive Director OIE.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Omegos International Educational Institute (OIE) is a Saint Lucian tertiary education institution founded in 2017. Headquartered at Barnard’s Hill, Castries, the school offers various Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) programmes including Biology, Communication Studies and Business Management, which include mandatory courses in soft skills and public speaking. In collaboration with US-based Black Hills State University (BHSU), the institution began offering the Tourism and Hospitality Management programme.
Executive director of OIE, Mr. Rhikkie Alexander, elaborates: “We recognize that throughout the tourism industry there’s a gap in management training. OIE has partnered
with BHSU to offer a highly globally accredited programme in Tourism and Hospitality Management. Although people are excellent at housekeeping, bartending and so on, the management aspect is what we realized was lacking. We collaborated so that our people can get an opportunity to rise to the management level. The fact is that tourism is the mainstay of the economy; we must ensure that we put our people in a position where they can access management jobs and opportunities, not just entry-level.”
By Alexander’s telling, the one-year programme will be based online to be undertaken by a maximum of thirty students. “It’s not one of those programmes where you have hundreds of students; this will ensure that each student is given individual attention. Also,
those who have access to their own computers will do the course at home but we are also providing a space at the Omegos School at Barnard Hill, where students who don’t have access will be able to get their work done.”
On August 27, students were offered the opportunity to meet the programme coordinator, Dr. Hyunsuk Choi, an experience which Mr. Alexander described as “unprecedented for an online programme”.
“The first day was so impressive,” said Dr. Choi. “I could see their passion and their eagerness to learn about tourism. Some of them have worked in the industry but they have never had the knowledge for managerial positions.”
R’Montay Regis is one of the thirty students enrolled in the programme. “I love getting to meet new people and interacting with them as well,” he said. “In hospitality I will get that opportunity and I’m ready for the challenge. I really enjoyed the class. The professor is very interactive, he knows what he’s about and the classroom setting was perfect.”
