63 students earn PSS/NMTech AHLEI program certification

NMTech and the Public School System Cooperative Education Program certified 63 students from their American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute Hospitality program called START. Twenty-three of the students passed this certification with honors, indicating they scored 90% or above on the exam. A ceremony recognizing their achievement was held at the Saipan World Resort this past Tuesday.

A certification from the AHLEI is the ultimate distinction in hospitality and certification from AHLEI are recognized worldwide by hotels and resort from large chains to small boutique and individually run operations.

Students learned about 18 positions in the hospitality area ranging from front desk and housekeeping to banquets and restaurant servers. The semester-long course included guest speakers, field trips and work experience/shadowing at various hotels on the island.

Education Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Camacho provided the keynote address stressing the importance of “experience-based learning” in helping students be successful beyond high school. He also shared his journey of being raised here in the CNMI and through his military service and career in education and returning home to Saipan just a short time ago to lead PSS.

This semester-long certification class is an elective through the PSS Cooperative Education program under Brandon Nicolas, who also provided the closing remarks. The START Hospitality class is offered at all three public high schools on Saipan and would not be possible without the assistance and collaboration of the principals and counseling staff of Marianas High School, Kagman High School, and Saipan Southern High School that help promote the class, recruit students and provide a classroom for this unique opportunity.

This spring semester marks the 10th anniversary of the AHLEI START program in the PSS high schools and this program has certified over 1,600 PSS students in that time. The class is facilitated by Island Training Solutions, the partner for the AHLEI in the CNMI. “We applaud PSS and NMTech for their vision and insight and look forward to another 10-year partnership,” said Jim Arenovski, owner of Island Training Solutions. “Although we are currently seeing difficult economic times, and hotel occupancies far below expectations, there are still tourists choosing to visit the CNMI right now and in my opinion there always will be, and although not at the levels we prefer, tourism is always a part of the CNMI’s economy.

He commented “I am bullish on the CNMI. The CNMI is a beautiful destination, and we need to be ready to welcome guests to our island regardless of how many. There will always be the need for certified and trained hospitality staff.”

These PSS students now have a solid foundation and credentials to enter the workforce whether in hotels, resorts, restaurants and retail. CNMI hotels and other tourism-related businesses recognize this certification and it signifies the student has taken on additional learning and sacrificed their time to earn this certification and are work-ready.

Students had the opportunity to have work experience at various hotels on Saipan. This semester participating hotels included Crown Plaza Resort Saipan, Pacific Islands Club Saipan, Saipan World Resort, Kensington Hotel, and Surf Rider Hotel. Past participating hotels include Laolao Bay Golf & Resort, Coral Ocean Point, and Grandvrio Hotel.

The ceremony was also attended by Senate President Edith DeLeon Guerrero (D-Saipan) and House Speaker Edmund Villagomez (Ind-Saipan), who have been strong supporters of this program, and helped with presenting the certificates to the students. (PR)