(Seychelles News Agency) - Around 200 students from the Seychelles Tourism Academy join the professional world every year, but not necessarily in hotel establishments, as many are enticed by opportunities that airlines and other businesses offer, a top official of the academy said Thursday.

Flavien Joubert, the principal of the academy told SNA that the school trains students "primarily for the hotel establishment, but when they graduate many choose other tourism-related field or other areas.”

This year the institution is celebrating its 10^th anniversary since becoming the Seychelles Tourism Academy. Prior to 2007, it was known as the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Training College.

A ceremony was organised to commemorate the 10th anniversary on Monday at the academy’s campus at La Misere, on the main island Mahe.

In his address, Joubert said that since the school was set up until its evolution into the academy, it has experienced a lot of instability. He attributed it mainly to the frequent changing of principals as well as moving from one parent ministry to another.

However, for the past 10 years, the academy has made great strides, said Joubert.  Today, the Seychelles Tourism Academy gets a new intake of up to 200 students every year. The newcomers join those already studying making the total of students on the campus of around 600. Courses are from apprenticeship certificate level to advanced diploma in hospitality management.

Students of the academy do their practice in tourism establishments. (Patrick Joubert, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

The principal said that his main concern is that with each class that graduates many do not seek employment in hotels.

“What is happening is that when they leave, they find so many other options in the tourism industry and some are more enticing like the airlines, where they get to travel a lot,” Joubert told SNA.

This has prompted the academy to sign agreements with other partners including the airlines so that in future they can also cater for demands in other tourism related areas.

The Minister of Tourism, Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, outlined the academy’s plan for the next 10 years.

Future plans will include an improved level of training and the scheme of service for the staff.

“We must continue with our advanced programme with Shannon and other international partners,” said Loustau-Lalanne.

The Seychelles Tourism Academy’s faculty of hospitality management received international recognition in becoming a recognised Academy of the Shannon College of Hotel Management. Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, signed a collaborative agreement with the institution -- a recognised college of the National University of Ireland -- in June 2015.

The tourism minister added that “we need to forge closer ties with our loyal partners in the industry both locally and overseas.”

In thanking the management and staff of the Academy, Loustau-Lalanne said, “Let us celebrate today our accomplishments and start tomorrow with determination.”

Thirteen long-serving staff members were awarded during the ceremony and a book on the history of the institution was also launched. The editor Georgina Dhillon presented a copy to the minister.