ACADEMY OF HOSPITALITY & TOURISM
STUDENT CONFERENCE
WAILUKU, MAUI – The Academy of
Hospitality & Tourism (AOHT) recently held its annual AOHT Student
Conference at UH Maui
College on Friday,
January 14 from 8:30am-3:00pm. Over 200 attendees took part in the conference including
students, educators, visitor industry representatives, members of the Native
Hawaiian Hospitality Association and local leaders.
Since AOHT’s inception in the
early 1990’s with a one-time grant from the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, the program
has proven to be a successful public-private partnership. The seed that was
first planted at Lahainaluna High School now includes programs at Maui High
& Baldwin High School.
This extraordinary “schools within schools” concept emphasizes academic
excellence while exposing students to the “real world.” AOHT’s primary goal is to prepare students
for post-secondary education and cultivate workforce development in one of the
world’s largest service industries.
This innovative program
administered by the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association (MHLA) provides
students with valuable exposure to the industry via internships, job shadowing,
research & event planning, service projects, job site visits, university
visits and travel. Today, the AOHT
program on Maui includes over 200 students.
The day-long student conference
included award winning poet/storyteller Kealoha as keynote speaker. Kealoha, a
local-boy who graduated from MIT with honors in nuclear physics, enthralled
students with his motivational speech on finding the right career. Showcasing the importance and relevance of
our host culture to tourism in Hawaii, the
program also included a lesson on Mass Travel in Hawaii by the Native Hawaiian Hospitality
Association. In addition, recognizing agriculture as integral to the history of
Hawaii, Lani
and Pomai Weigert of the Hawaii AgriTourism Association presented a session on
how they have successfully integrated agriculture into the visitor industry.
Students also had the
opportunity to visit with various visitor industry businesses during the Career
Fair/Mock Interview session. Students were required to provide a resume and job
application for the “mock interview” portion – where industry leaders provided
valuable feedback to each student. During
lunch, Maui High School’s academy shared their
knowledge of the industry to attendees.
The event capped off with a
lively “Jeopardy, Visitor Industry Style” competition that included topics
presented to the students throughout the day.
“The AOHT program offers students a unique
opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the visitor industry. Many of these
students continue on to post-secondary education with a head-start in selecting
their field of study,” says Carol Reimann,
co-chair of the AOHT and executive director for the Maui Hotel & Lodging
Association. “We are pleased to offer such a great program to high school
students – our future business leaders – and contribute to our workforce
development.”
The program is supported by funding
from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Maui County’s
Office of Economic Development and the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association.
The Maui Hotel & Lodging
Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 to advocate for the
Visitor Industry. The organization also provides educational opportunities and
scholarships, and gives back to the community via the annual Visitor Industry
Charity Walk, Excellence in Education golf tournament and Kupuna Dinner. For
additional information, contact the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association at
244-8625.
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“Student Conference
Career Fair”
Debbie Tamayo and Nancy Chaplick of Oceanic Time Warner
Cable discuss job opportunities with Pumehana Ladera of Baldwin High School.
