GTA completes First Aid & CPR Training

–15 hotel staff, tour guides and tour operators within the Essequibo Region trained

During February 24 – 28, 2021, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) facilitated a First Aid & CPR training with 15 hotel staff, tour guides and tour operators at the Government’s Regional State House, Anna Regina, Essequibo with all COVID-19 protocols being observed. Participants from Jaigobin Hotel, Lake Mainstay Resort, WD’s Hotel & Mall, Lord’s Hotel, Baby Doll Hotel, Knight Rider’s Hotel and the Region 2 Tourism Association were all trained as first responders.

These sessions were guided by Melissa Alstrom, an instructor from the Guyana Training College for International Skills (GTCI) who is passionate about first response, health and safety. Participants were trained in areas such as Knowing When to Call 911, Checking an Ill or Injured Person, Sudden Illness, Preventing Heart Disease, Caring for a Heart Attack and other Cardiac Emergencies, among other critical areas of emergency care. Practical as well as theoretical methods were employed to ensure that participants of the respective businesses are sufficiently trained to handle emergency situations.

The GTA has maintained that as part of its licensing system, Tour Guides and Tourism Accommodation  Establishments  are  required  to have First Aid & CPR Certification before a licence can be issued. Certificates are valid for a period of two years.

As  part of its effort to support tourism businesses, the GTA has waived all training fees for training  programmes  delivered  by  the  Authority  and  is  also  providing  a  50%  contribution towards the training fees associated with First Aid training delivered by a recognised institution. This waiver policy is valid until March 31, 2021.

Capacity building remains a key component in the GTA’s work plan to build the resiliency of the sector. The Authority is committed to supporting all tourism businesses to reopen safely and raise the standard of operations by providing training and technical support in all the relevant areas. As such, a number of training programmes have been scheduled based on the needs of the sector. Some of the upcoming training programmes are Successful Taxi Driver training, Boat Captain  training,  Culinary  training  within  Indigenous  communities,  Yield  Management  and Pricing, and Hygiene and Sanitation Protocols. To assist tourism stakeholders with planning their training activities in advance, the GTA has developed a  living  training  schedule  and persons are  asked  to  indicate  their  interest  to  participate  in  any  of  the  training  programmes,  by registering using the  survey  monkey  link.

For more information on the GTA’s training initiatives contact Chetnauth Persaud, Training & Tourism Development Officer, at  chetnauth@guyanatourism.com or Tamika Inglis, Manager of Training & Licensing, at  tamika@guyanatourism.com in the Travel Industry Development Division (TIDD) or call +(592) 219 0055.