2013 Employer of Choice applications now open

Hurray, hurray!
First of May!
Employer of Choice
opens today!

(Ok, so the rhythm is off a bit, but the rhyme works.)

Visit www.steceoc.com and register to qualify as a Saskatchewan Tourism Employer of Choice for 2013. Applications are now open until November 30. But don't procrastinate. The application will take a bit of time, so start now to make sure you can help celebrate the 2013 Employers of Choice next spring.

See the 2012 Employers of Choice, and find out more about becoming an Employer of Choice, by visiting the STEC.com website.

2012 Employers of Choice awarded at SHHA conference today

Congratulations to our 2012 Employers of Choice. Becoming an Employer of Choice lets a business become recognized for its outstanding management practices. It's not so much the award (a nice plaque at a spring conference and a certificate to display prominently on your wall, awarded at our Professional Recognition Dinners), but the recognition of the hard work and dedication toward creating the kind of workplace where employees feel valued and supported in their work, where managers know that they have the support they need to do their jobs well, and where customers know that they'll always receive the kind of exceptional service that makes them feel welcome and keep coming back.

In other words, you start by creating a great workplace. Getting the Employer of Choice designation is the independent recognition that you have the kind of business that attracts the best employees and keeps them for the long haul.

This year, we're recognizing nine organizations as Employers of Choice. The fact is, there are many more employers in Saskatchewan that would qualify, if they would sign up and work through the application. That takes a bit of work, what with the questionnaires and surveys and all. We know that. But that work helps your business validate the good practices that you already have, and the detailed audit report prepared by our in-house human resource professionals helps you identify areas that can make you even stronger. Plus, we're there to help you with the tools and resources to engage in human resource "best practices" in every way. With potential shortage of up to 1,300 skilled tourism workers by the end of this year, and 6,500 within the next 13 years, that's a good reason to be recognized as the kind of employer that people want to work for. It's just one more "plus" that helps you attract good workers when everyone else is hanging out their "help wanted" signs.

So, if you haven't registered at the STEC Employer of Choice online portal, why not take a moment to sign up and get started. Registrations open May 1 of each year, and close November 30. (You can sign up to register for the site today - you just won't be able to start work on the EOC process until May 1). That gives you seven months to complete the employer questionnaire and employee surveys. Sign up early, because you should plan on taking several weeks, not all at once, but a little at a time over that seven months, to work through it all.

A little sunshine on an April morning

Following up on a February Service Best workshop at South East Regional College, facilitated by Tony Kayter, I noticed this comment from participant Gayleen Gurr, of Langbank, Saskatchewan: "...very worthwhile - should be mandatory in schools."

Thanks, Gayleen, for taking the time at the end of the workshop to provide some wonderful feedback and comments (and for providing permission to share them with our readers).

Several schools in Saskatchewan offer our Service Best in High Schools workshop. When you consider that most young people get their first jobs in tourism or hospitality businesses, the training effectively prepares them for summer employment, part-time work as students, and ongoing work in jobs where good customer service counts, including retail. (So, tell me of any job that doesn't require some kind of customer service, whether that's in a retail or "selling" business or in an office that requires you to interact effectively with colleagues!) Diefenbaker Destination Developments recently organized our Service Best Teacher In-Service workshop to certify high school teachers to provide Service Best in schools throughout the Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Destination Area. We even had one teacher travel down from Blaine Lake to take the training so that she could deliver Service Best in her high school.

Would we like to see more schools deliver Service Best? You bet! Consider how most of us learn about how to behave on the job. We learn mainly from experience, by watching how others are treated. If you can remember how you were treated as a high school (or younger) student when you went into local businesses, then you know that our youth don't often experience exemplary customer service. So, how do you learn to provide good customer service if you never experience it? That's why we've got Service Best in High Schools.

Ready To Work Menu, March 20 - April 11, 2012

SK 25 Menu

Remember: to book your reservation, contact Lynne Kennedy, at 306-933-7187 or lynne.kennedy@sasktourism.com.

Week 1- Lunches – noon service/ St. Johns Anglican Church

Monday March 19 - No Service

Tuesday March 20

• Soup/ Sandwich Buffet
• Veggie Tray and Dip
• Soups:
• Cream of Mushroom
• Chicken Noodle
• Sandwiches:
• Ham & Swiss Croissant or Kaiser
• Open Faced Cream Cheese and Cucumber on Bagel
• Egg Salad Wrap
• Desserts
• Fruit or Butter Tarts

Wednesday March 21

• A La Carte Service:
• Iceberg Wedge Salad
• Choice of: Spinach Quiche OR Quiche Lorraine with Brown Sugar Carrots
• Fruit Salad and Local Grain Granola

Have lunch or dinner on us!

SK25 Ready To Work - Lunch & Dinner

March 20, 2012 at 12:00 PM - April 11, 2012 at 7:00 PM

Saskatoon

Have lunch - or dinner - on us!

Our latest Ready To Work (RTW) recruits are are anxious to show off their talents, and what better way to do that than to make you a delicious lunch or dinner.

Please join us on from March 20 to April 11, as participants put their skills on display in our authentic restaurant-style training facility. Attendance is by reservation only.

We will be at St. John's Anglican for lunch service, March 20, 21, 22 and 23, and at the Saskatoon Trades and Skills Centre at Mt Royal Collegiate for evening service, March 27, 28, 29 April 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11.

To make your lunch or dinner reservation, or for any other questions you may have about recruitment of Ready to Work participants, please contact Manager of Special Projects Lynne Kennedy, Ready to Work Coordinator, at 306-933-7187 or lynne.kennedy@sasktourism.com.

If you are looking for entry level staff, you will not find a better opportunity to meet qualified applicants and get a first look at STEC's newest Ready to Work graduates.

Responsible Service of Alcohol

No one likes to put a damper on a good time, but people still need to understand the kinds of liability they face when they serve alcohol, especially in a commercial or organized setting. You need effective strategies that let people enjoy themselves, help you serve responsibly and let you identify guests who drink too much. That's where responsible-service-of-alcohol programs come in.

The program that STEC uses, Serve it Right Saskatchewan (SIRS), uses three broad "learning cycles", covered in six modules.

Rising Tide: Impaired Driving Awareness Week 2012

The "rising tide" of liability against commercial liquor establishments and servers
This week is Impaired Driving Awareness Week in Saskatchewan. Drinking and driving is the leading cause of fatal crashes in our province.

About 45.1 per cent of fatal crashes in the province are alcohol-related, above the Canadian average of 37.9 per cent. By some estimates, impaired driving costs Canadians more than $225.5 billion a year.

Whether we like it or not, tourism industry operators have a stake in solving this problem.

Watch for us in the summer edition of Prairies North Magazine

Diane Cohoon, STEC's Manager of Training, and I just finished an hour-long conversation with Prairies North Editor Lionel Hughes. Lionel is working on a special summer edition of the magazine that will focus on education.

We don't want to spill the beans on all that we discussed - you'll have to pick up a copy of Prairies North and read story when it comes out - but we can say that it was a wide-ranging conversation that covered the gamut of programs, training and services that help tourism employers in the province.

We hope you'll pick up and copy and see innovative tourism training around the province, in places like Lipton and Reindeer Lake, and what communities everywhere are doing to improve customer service and workers' skills.

Let's hear it for our friends at Diefenbaker Destination Developments: Service Best steal of a deal

For a limited time, you can sign up for STEC's award-winning customer service workshop, Service Best, for just $40. We'll even buy you lunch.

Diefenbaker Destination Developments Inc. is sponsoring this special deal on our February workshops held in the Lake Diefenbaker region, allowing us to reduce the price to $40 per participant, plus GST.

Any business or organization located in the Mid Sask Enterprise Region service area is eligible to receive the sponsored rate. This is part of Diefenbaker Destination Developments’ initiative to achieve Service Best delivery to 60% of employees in 60% of businesses in the Lake Diefenbaker region. But act quickly. This special rate is available only for the workshops listed below, and participants must register no later than five days before the workshop date.

Workshops available:

• Whitecap, February 22.
• Outlook, February 28.
• Davidson, February 29.
• Elbow, TBA (March).
• Central Butte, TBA (March).

You can register on-line, or by calling Christian at (306) 361-5845 or Patty 1-800-331-1529. Registration in advance lets us bring enough lunch and materials for everyone attending.

Mid Sask Enterprise Region, Diefenbaker Destination Developments Inc, Whitecap Dakota First Nation, and the Saskatchewan Tourism Education Council, a division of Tourism Saskatchewan, are working to designate the region as a Service Best Region, with 60 per cent of the businesses and 60 per cent of the staff in those businesses participating in STEC's Service Best program. The region wants to create a "culture of service excellence" that draws more visitors.

Regular prices for Service Best are $109 for Tourism Saskatchewan members and $129 for non-members, so we really appreciate what Diefenbaker Destination Developments is doing to make the workshop more accessible to businesses in the region.

For more information about Service Best, Service Best Management, and Service Best Business recognition, visit www.stec.com.

NOTE: February 10, 2012, updated dates for Elbow and Central Butte workshops.

Plan now for 2012 Professional Recognition Dinners

If you had just put 3,600 hours in on-the-job training, toiled through emerit Tourism Professional Certification, spent countless nights studying for exams and sweated through a multitude of performance evaluations, don't you think you deserve a spectacular graduation party?

We certainly think you deserve it. So, circle these dates on your calendar to help us celebrate our 19th Annual Tourism Professional Recognition Dinners.

• Saskatoon dinner: June 11, Sheraton Cavalier.
• Regina dinner: June 13, Regina Inn.

These dinners recognize the culmination of years' worth of effort that Saskatchewan's tourism workers have dedicated toward building substantial long-term careers. While they don't often get the public attention of, say, high school or university graduation ceremonies, these dinners represent a significant achievement in the lives of the young people - and sometimes not-so-young people - who have completed their training. Maybe you know someone, such as a friend or family member, who has made Journeyperson or who has completed their Tourism Professional Certification. Make sure you congratulate them for their achievement. There are more than 4,000 such people in Saskatchewan currently.

The two annual dinners also recognize the contributions of the people and businesses that provide training, facilities and other support, as well as the people and businesses that show outstanding professionalism in Saskatchewan's tourism sector. It's one heck of a night that's not soon forgotten by those who are there.


Recognition categories

Certification Honourees

• Certified tourism industry professionals recognize the value of lifelong learning and personal development. Many tourism professionals have attained certification in two or more occupations.

Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors

• The Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors (CITC) advances the professional development of travel counsellors and managers. It promotes the national industry designations of Certified Travel Counsellor (CTC) and Certified Travel Manager (CTM).

Journeypersons

• Tourism apprenticeships are offered through STEC in partnership with the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission. Apprenticeships are available in two trades: Guest Services Representative and Food and Beverage Person. To become journeypersons, apprentices must have 3,600 hours of work experience, receive professional certification in their chosen trade, complete a range of occupational, safety and trade-related training, and successfully pass a series of examinations.

Property Recognition

• Education and training opportunities for frontline staff are key to the success of Saskatchewan’s tourism sector. Employer support and encouragement are critical. The tourism sector acknowledges Saskatchewan businesses for their commitment to staff development through emerit National Occupational Standards and Professional Certification.

Service Best Recognition

• Businesses that attain a high level of achievement – at least 60% staff or management participation in Service Best – are recognized in our Business Recognition program.

Employer of Choice Recognition

• STEC's Employer of Choice program is designed to assist tourism businesses across the province in attracting and retaining staff by providing employers with the tools and resources to engage in best practices, increase staff training, improve organizational human resources practices, and be recognized as a leader in the tourism sector.

Ambassador Awards

• The tourism sector is made up of five industries: accommodations, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment, transportation, and travel services. There may not be an award given for all industries in every year. Nominees for an Ambassador Award must meet the following criteria: certified in a tourism occupation, active in tourism, embody the values of certification, and exhibit an ongoing commitment to professionalism in tourism.

More information on our Professional Recognition Dinners.
See last year's program or announcement.

Three new downloadable workbooks available from emerit

If you've earned your national emerit certification in one of Canada's recognized tourism professions, you're likely familiar with the training workbook that you received. While you were able to complete other components of your training online, that workbook was only available in its printed edition - until now.

This week, emerit released the workbook in a new, downloadable format, starting with these three occupations:

• Front Desk Agent.
• Reservation Sales Agent.
• Tourism Visitor Information Counsellor.

The cost for each of the downloadable versions is $70, compared with $85 for the hard-copy workbooks. You can still download and use the national occupational standards for free.

emerit is recognized by tourism employers across Canada. Tourism Certified Professionals meet job standards set by industry. To become certified, individuals must pass exams demonstrating their knowledge and practical skills, and complete a minimum number of hours to gain experience. It takes from six months to two years to become emerit certified, depending on past experience and knowledge.

emerit Professional Certification is available for 27 of the 46 tourism professions with National Occupational Standards.  STEC is the local representative of the emerit training brand, offered through the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council.  Certification obtained in Saskatchewan is recognized nationally across Canada. In 2011, STEC recognized the province's 2000th certified professional.

Designations are available for Tourism Certified Professional (TCP), Tourism Certified Supervisor (TCS), and Tourism Certified Manager (TCM).

Meadow Lake readies for Service Best

"Customer service is key to tourism," notes 55 West Enterprise Region Economic Development director Corey Bowers.

That's why he's looking for Meadow Lake and area businesses to sign up for Service Best in March.

There's a real need, Bowers says. There aren't a lot of businesses that have customer service training available to them.

He chose the program offered by STEC because it's "one of the best ones out there," he says.

The entertaining and interactive workshop provides useful tools to help front line staff create memorable customer experiences, identify and respond to customer needs, and turn dissatisfied customers into loyal allies. Service Best is ideal for anyone who deals with customers, including trades, retail and health care. The program content is wide-ranging, not focused exclusively on tourism and hospitality work.

In addition to finding employees in local businesses to fill the workshop, Bowers plans to include volunteers who will be working with the 2012 Saskatchewan Summer Games, being held in Meadow Lake, July 29 to August 4.

Businesses that have 60 per cent or more of their staff or management completing Service Best, receive recognition through STEC's Business Recognition program.

This edition of Service Best workshop is being offered at special group pricing to make it easier for businesses to enrol.

Workshop details:

• Date: March 8, 2012
• Location: Meadow Lake
• Length: 7 hours
• Cost: $79.00 plus GST (Compare with our regular prices: $109 for Tourism Saskatchewan members, $129 for non-members)
• Register by: March 1, 2012

Register online: www.steconlinelearning.com
For questions about Service Best: stec.training@sasktourism.com
Toll Free: 1-800-331-1529

Open to the public. Pre-registration required.

Download the Service Best promotional flyer.