The Hospitality and Tourism Trade School (HATTS) is a not-for-profit organisation funded by public donation and staffed by volunteer teachers from Australia. It operates out of the Community Centre in Ainaro Vila, a small town in the central mountains, 110 kms south-west of Dili. HATTS offers the youth of Ainaro a free “Certificate of Attainment” training course in Hospitality and Tourism. The course is 120 hours, face to face, taught over two months and covers Front and Back of House restaurant operations, the Principles of Travel and Tourism, and Business Opportunities in Tourism. The next course will begin on the 1st of May 2023, with limited places available.
There is already a pressing need for hospitality skills to meet the post Covid demand. The Government of Timor Leste is committed to developing the nascent tourism sector and is funding the infrastructure required to facilitate the expected upturn in visitor numbers. Opportunities for work also exist in overseas locations such as Darwin, Melbourne and Sydney with Australia experiencing a massive shortage of hospitality workers.
While there are Hospitality training courses available in Dili and Baucau, it is very difficult for someone from Ainaro to move away from home and pay the expensive student fees, accommodation, and living expenses such a move would incur. HATTS mission is to provide a free introduction to Hospitality and Tourism for the youth of Ainaro and guide their ambition in Timor Leste’s tourism based economic future.
The tourism sector can also offer many small-business and self-employment opportunities, such as tour operations, guiding, driving, café and restaurant operations, accommodation, and retail/souvenir services. HATTS will provide the training, basic skills, and knowledge required to enter the tourism industry as a self-employed business operator or as an employee of an already established company. This course will also serve as a ground-level introduction for further education and training in Hospitality at a higher level.
“Hamutuk ita bele!”