In an effort to develop local young leaders in the hospitality industry, Hilton Seychelles has created an 18-month programme, said a top official.

The manager for cluster learning and development for Hilton Seychelles, Medna Latulipe, said that this programme is designed for local talents to be developed to take up key positions in the food and beverage or rooms departments, front office or housekeeping.

Latulipe told SNA the programme has two placements in two Hilton Hotels in Seychelles.

"The first placement is for nine months, with rotation in numerous departments such as kitchen, food and beverage, HR (Human Resources), and engineering. The second placement is also for nine months where the successful candidate is placed in departments such as front office, housekeeping, sales and marketing, and finance," she added.

Additionally, to the placements, there is also a theory component that the participants will have to complete during this time.

"There are also two projects which need to be completed after each placement and there are numerous online trainings as well as formal classroom training to attend," said Latulipe.

She emphasised that this is a fast-track leadership development programme "designed to help the candidates understand the functions of each department, which eventually will help him/her better lead their team as they would have understood the basics and requirements of the departments before taking up a leadership role. It is not based on only technical skills, but also interpersonal and soft skills required to successfully lead a team and become a trusted leader."

To apply, applicants must have completed a bachelor's degree, be fluent in English, eligible to work in the Seychelles, have full mobility across Seychelles and be willing to relocate as required.

"Hilton is committed to developing young local talents who can lead Hilton Hotels and the hospitality industry as a whole. Expectations are commitment and devotion from the successful candidate to complete all the requirements of the programme to secure an assistant head of department  or head of department position at the end of the 18 months," she said.

Tourism is the top contributor to the economy of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, and the first hotel to come under the Hilton brand management to set up in the island nation was Hilton Northolme Resort and Spa in 2007.

A year later, Hilton Labriz opened on the third biggest island of Seychelles, Silhouette, followed in 2013 by the DoubleTree by Hilton Allamanda Resort and Spa in the south of the main island.

Most recently, Mango House Seychelles LXR Hotels & Resorts, a Hilton brand, opened in 2021, and this has now been followed by two more resorts in the space of two months, with the Waldorf Astoria on Ile Platte, and the latest one to open is Canopy by Hilton at Anse Boileau.