Conclusions

As we could observe along this work, on the one hand, the supply of Hotel Management training is already available though some quantitative, qualitative and structural changes are needed. On the other hand, there is a latent demand for Hotel Management training that needs to be better canalized. Now it is the right time to work for a proper adaptation of both sides, since the Government has set tourism as a key sector of the economy and currently reforms on the formal vocational training system are taking place in Morocco.

Hotel managers from the low category hotels, 2- and 3-stars, are mostly not qualified and generally do not place too much importance on formal training. However, they all agree that further training in Hotel Management is required. Basic subjects like human resources, marketing, accounting and catering management are highly demanded. They neither have internally the resources to organize such training nor the resources to employ a new manager with such skills. In contrast, the 4- and 5-star hotel managers are already well qualified, most of them with Master degrees in foreign countries, and know also very well about the current opportunities to receive further training and indeed they are making use of all different possibilities to be further trained, from consultants to courses offered in

public vocational training institutes financed by the OFPPT and also intern organized training from the hotel chain they belong to. However, those national 4-star hotels work in this direction but still need to be assisted to get a higher degree of training organization comparable to the international hotels in the same category.

The great majority of 2- and 3-star hotel managers would be willing to attend further training courses if they knew there are offers and their financing means. Luckily, it is already contemplated in the Moroccan further training system through the reimbursement system established by the OFPPT. The problem lies in the lack of information flow and in missing specific policies addressing small and medium hotels. More incentives are needed to get to SMEs that are willing to profit from the benefits further training can bring to them. Those not aware of their own further training needs would require external professional assistance or training institutions that help them upgrade their human resources skills to the extent it is required for such category.

The formal vocational training is currently being reformed by the GTZ, which aims to introduce the Dual System in Morocco known as Formation Professionnelle Alternée. Most enterprises interviewed see the advantages of such system but still have to work to be ready to train trainees at their premises. A very positive aspect is that most 4- and 5-star hotels already see the advantages and are willing to have trainees at their hotels, since they need it (Ashoff, G. 2001b. p. 48). Small and medium hotels are not completely aware of the advantages of this system; nonetheless the GTZ and the Ministry of Education are working in this sense.

On the other side, the Government recognizes the need to increase the number of training places. For this purpose, it strongly fosters the private sector, which would be positive if the public administration worked together with private institutions in order to assure an appropriate quality level, ensure the key qualifications the sector demands and make training accessible to a great part of the population (WB, 2000).

A clear constraint preventing the further training system to be developed is the lack of intermediary structures that canalize the hotel managers’ needs and diffuse the offers available by the different training suppliers. The professional associations, like the FNIH, have been proved to be inefficient in this sense and now the Government has deposited its hopes in the recently created GIAC tourism. Despite these efforts, it seems that the GIAC should introduce more specific training programs. It seems more efficient to have business associations like the Industry and Trade Chambers, or private consultant companies, working together for the promotion of further training. The Industry and Trade Chambers already act as a forum for professionals, identifying their training needs and offering some further training courses in management.

Although these activities have been so far sporadically introduced, they should be further fostered and better coordinated nationwide. Private consultancy activities are increasingly gaining more importance in Morocco and they will surely be the way how many small, medium and big enterprises receive further training in the next years. Moreover, some efforts are being made to link regionally the professionals and training activities, like the Observatoire for further training needs in Marrakech. This could bring very important lessons to be applied in other regions.

Finally, it is important to highlight that this is the right time to work on the improvement of the tourist sector, as well as on the training system. Right now the Government has become aware of the upgrading needs of Moroccan enterprises and for this reason it introduced the Mise-à-Niveau

program. The training system is being reformed and the tourist sector strongly fostered. Hopefully, this work offers an overview and some guidelines on how the improvement of both tourism and training can be of mutual benefit from one to another. The adaptation of the training system to the needs of the tourist sector could be equally applied to other economic sectors.