Baguio hosts 1st North Philippines career fair

BAGUIO CITY – Thousands of students and hospitality industry stakeholders will be flocking to the city to grab the rare opportunity of being exposed to the realities of their chosen profession for the upcoming 1st North Philippines Tourism Forum and Career Fair at the CAP Trade and Cultural Center on Nov. 16-18.

                Maria Venus Q. Tan, regional director of the Cordillera office of the Department of Tourism , said the event will help unveil the many tourism career opportunities not only in the country but also in other parts of the world to accommodate the increasing number of young professionals taking up courses related to the hospitality and tourism industry.

              “The fair will highlight the rise of the Cordillera as meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions career hub for tourism,” Tan stressed.

 The 3-day event will include lectures and for a on topics related to tourism career opportunities and practices as it brings the academe to the realities to the needs of the industry.

The DOT-CAR official revealed the speakers, who are the icons of practically all the tourism sectors, will present their personal and professional experiences in their respective career paths and provide tips on how to spot and seize opportunities for industry growth and advancement thereby resulting in jobs and livelihood generation.

According to her, as industry leaders, the chosen experts will talk about the realities in their respective sectors such as the culinary and restaurants, hotels and resorts, cruise, airlines and aviation and travel and tours as well as meetings, conventions incentives and travel exhibitions among others.

              Tan disclosed among those that will be featured in the event are the new breeds of tourism entrepreneurs who do business online using various mobile applications and other enabling digital mechanisms, including the income potentials that these can generate.

The attendees to the event will be given a free seminar on basic productivity and quality concepts; communicating service quality; understanding, satisfying and managing customer expectations; and the art of effective listening and communication.

She said trainers from the labor department will also teach future employees to conduct themselves during employment interviews, while at the workplace, when subjected to sexual harassment, and how to deal with the reality of HIV in the community among others.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority will  present its training programs, courses, and assistance to graduates in searching and qualifying for jobs.

Tan said another interesting session of the event is grooming where experts will provide the formula in picking the right clothes, hair style and make up for various occasions and situations and the session will include discussions on the effective verbal and non-verbal communications during interviews and other forms of human interactions.

Tan said a special matching session at the career exhibition will also help job seekers find employment that apply and suits their education, skills, personality and interests.

The event is organized and managed by the Philippine Exhibits and Theme Parks Corporation with Victory Liner, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and NLEX Corporation. -- Dexter A. See