THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512010132
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 24 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Education
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
AFTER SPENDING MORE than 15 years in the hotel business - working her way up from front desk clerk to management - Jill Staples knows hospitality.
Now Staples is sharing her knowledge with high school students across the city as an instructor of the city schools' hotel operations and management classes.
Held daily at the Clarion Hotel on Bonney Road, the courses give nearly 30 juniors and seniors the opportunity to learn first-hand what the hotel business is all about.
The 23 operations students soak up Staples' experience through classroom lectures and have the chance to create their own through 13 weeks of hands-on work in different departments of the hotel. Students work side by side with employees in all fields - from the kitchen to housekeeping - to find their niche in the business.
``A hotel is a city within itself,'' Staples said. ``If you're a math person, there's accounting. If you're into fixing things, there's maintenance. There's always a place for everybody in a hotel.''
Five students are enrolled in the second part of the operations course - a hotel management class - where they are learning how to supervise and train employees.
They share what they have learned with the operations students, lecturing them from time to time, and work collectively as members of a mock hotel's executive committee, writing rules for themselves and future classes.
At the end of the year, the management students get to put all these skills to work by shadowing a general manager. They also are eligible to qualify for the Certified Hospitality Supervisor designation.
Both courses are marketing electives, which run the entire school year. Many of the students hold paying jobs in the business - from the Cavalier Hotel to the Norfolk Airport Hilton - to supplement their training, and in turn, receive three credits for their work. Those who don't choose co-op receive two credits.
Seventeen-year-old Jennifer Old, a senior at Kempsville High School, took the co-op route when she signed up for the operations class. She currently works the front desk at the Clarion and said the combined experience of her job and class work has helped her find her future.
``I love my job and I love this class,'' she said. ``I know I'm going to be in the hotel business and this is good preparation.''
She added: ``(Staples) does really well with us because she's been in the hotel business. She adds her experience to the curriculum.''
One aspect Staples drives home is the importance of first impressions. She even requires students to dress professionally for the classes.
``In my experience with hiring people, it always hit a nerve when people would come in and apply for jobs in their bathing suits,'' she said. ``That's not the way to make a good first impression.
``That's what I really try to teach these students - how to get their foot in the door to get a job,'' she said of the program, which is in its fourth year. ``I teach them as an employer, not a teacher.''
The course seems to be working. According to Staples, 77 percent of the students who complete the program are still working in the industry a year after graduation.
Twenty-year-old Jennifer Antonaccio, now a student at Tidewater Community College, is one of those graduates. She completed the management course in 1994 and works the front desk at the Norfolk Marriott.
``The hotel operations class gives everyone a very explicit idea of how a hotel is operated and what department would be best suited for a student,'' she said. ``The management class has taught me management, leadership and supervisory skills that have helped me in college and everyday life.''
The industry has been equally as receptive to the courses.
``From my perspective, it's truly a win-win relationship,'' said John Giattino, general manager of the Clarion. ``It benefits both the students and the hospitality industry.
``We're in an industry that's hungry for new talent. By assisting the school system, we're creating a pipeline of trained young people who are interested in pursuing a hospitality career.
``It's a wonderful program.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by HOLLY WESTER
Jennifer Old, 17, a senior at Kempsville High, and Jill Staples,
Hotel Operations and Management Marketing Education Coordinator for
the city schools, request assistance during a student-directed
class.
Jamel Hamner, 17, a junior at Princess Anne High, fills out a flow
chart during a student-taught lecture in hotel operations.
INDUSTRY FACTS
Here are some facts about the hospitality/tourism industry.
It is predicted to be the No. 1 industry for jobs by the year
2000.
In the past decade, employment opportunities in the field have
grown at more than twice the rate of all United States industries.
More than 10 million people in the country are employed in the
trade.
It is one of the top three employers in 37 of the 50 states.
Internationally, it accounts for more than $2 trillion in
expenditures - about 10 percent of the world's gross national
product.
by CNB