Aleksandar is a student of the 4th year of basic academic studies at the Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja. During his studies, he gained significant experience while attending professional practice in several hotels and a tourist agency in Serbia. And yet, he signed up for the training on opportunities in the hospitality industry, and then for the internship at the "Zelengora" hotel in Kragujevac in order to gain new work experience.
"I signed up for the training for several reasons: gaining new work experience, improving my own abilities in the hospitality industry/hotel management, as well as expanding the business environment, gaining new contacts in the hotel sector," says Aleksandar. He adds that the training was organized and took place in an excellent atmosphere, that the overall impression was very good and that every part of the training encouraged discussion. "I expected to gain new skills, experience, meet new people and improve my knowledge in the field of hotel management," says Alexander.
Hotel "Zelengora", where the training and the internship took place, is located in the very centre of Kragujevac, a city in central Serbia and, once upon a time, in the 19th century, the capital of Serbia. The hotel is located in a building that represents one of the architectural heritages of this city from some past times. Although it is not a new hotel and has a relatively small capacity, the hotel is full since early morning and is a starting point for the local population, whether they are citizens on their way to work stopping by for a morning coffee or pensioners who start the day here with friends over breakfast.
What Alexander expected was that, through an internship, he would improve his own skills in practice right here, beyond the scope of theory, in his own city. He states that he liked the attitude of colleagues from the reception desk the most, but also praises other colleagues from other sectors, and states that the internship went very well in a nice atmosphere.
In addition to the experience gained and the contacts established at the hotel, Aleksandar also states that the financial support during the internship meant a lot to him as a means on the way to completing his studies. After the internship, he was given the opportunity to attend additional training of his choice, which is covered by the project, and he chose it to be a language course. "The courses are a very good opportunity to further progress and open new chapters on a professional level."
Looking at all the activities in which he participated in the project, from training, to internships at the hotel, to additional trainings, Aleksandar states that this was a very important step in his professional development. "Each work experience is just an additional item in the CV that values my qualities and additionally affects my position as a worker in the hospitality sector," he states.
Although earlier there were some offers and indications that he could get a job, Aleksandar seems to know clearly in which direction he wants his career to develop, in line with his education. "Despite my age and insufficient experience, my wish is to work as an assistant top manager or a top manager in the hotel industry or tourism, and accordingly I will strive to improve my knowledge and raise my professionalism to an even higher level, gain greater work experience and, with the help of the courses that are available to us, to increase my qualities as a worker in the hospitality industry to a higher level."
Finally, Aleksandar has a message for all young people who have the opportunity for training: "They should use all the opportunities that are available to them to become a better, more advanced version of themselves on the business front. Only in this way can they expect to be accomplished and successful in their work. In order to succeed, you need to take a serious approach and think about your career in time, and there will hardly be better opportunities than these. That's why trainings of this type are a reward for participants, while for foundations, non-governmental organizations and mentors, they are another "stamp" on their long-term success, achieved year after year, knowing that they have created a new generation of young and capable people for certain jobs.”
The training, internship and stipends were organized and provided within the project “Improving access for Roma communities to employment opportunities in the hospitality industry”, funded by Hilton Global Foundation and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
