Empowering Rwanda’s Hospitality Future: KETHA Celebrates 4th Graduation with Job-Ready Graduates

By Elias Hakizimana.

Kigali, November 1, 2024—The Kigali Excellent Tourism and Hospitality Academy (KETHA) awarded certificates to 20 graduates in hospitality and culinary arts at its 4th graduation ceremony.

Held in partnership with the Rwanda TVET Board (RTB) and various partner hotels across Rwanda, the event celebrated the students’ achievements and the collaborative efforts supporting them.

In his welcome remarks, KETHA Principal Dr. Alphonse Habimana praised the continuous support from the RTB and thanked the partner hotels that provided internships and employment opportunities for graduates.

“Our school offers various programs, including secondary-level courses and short-term training lasting six to eight months. Today, we are proud to see 20 graduates complete a 12-month program, with six months spent in school and six months in internships at different hotels and tourism entities,” Dr. Habimana said.

“Seventy percent of these graduates have already secured employment after their internship, and we are confident that the remaining 30 percent will enter the labor market shortly, thanks to the strong support from our partners.” Dr habimana added.

Dr. Habimana highlighted KETHA’s commitment to supporting students by facilitating internship placements for all 409 students across its programs, ensuring they do not need to search for internships independently.

He also expressed appreciation for the Rwandan government’s leadership, which has fostered good governance and security, enabling young people to access quality vocational education.

Dr. Habimana concluded by acknowledging the contributions of parents, teachers, and students who are committed to KETHA’s mission and emphasized that the academy remains dedicated to developing the tourism and hospitality industry in Rwanda.

Emerance Niwewe, representing the graduating class, reflected on their experience, saying, “Today marks the end of our 240-day journey in hospitality and culinary education at KETHA, especially in food and beverage operations. Thanks to the strong governance in our country, which values and empowers youth, we have had the opportunity to pursue vocational training through the support of RTB. Many of us have secured jobs even before graduation, and we thank the hotels that welcomed us for internships. This support has not only built us but will enable us to contribute to building our country as well.”

A representative from Smart Heaven Hotel highlighted the past challenges of hiring unqualified hotel staff, often employed without a background in hospitality, and celebrated that schools like KETHA now provide a solution by training qualified professionals for the industry.

“We used to face the issue of hiring unqualified hotel staff, often due to favoritism, where a parent might ask a hotel to employ their child with no hospitality background,” he said. “Thanks to the government’s support in establishing schools like KETHA, employees now complete professional training. We’re proud to see even foreigners coming to learn from Rwanda’s hospitality standards.”

He encouraged graduates to embrace all roles in the industry, sharing his journey from hotel waiter to manager of an institution overseeing multiple hotels.

Jean Damascene Renzaho, youth empowerment and employment promotion specialist at RTB, commended KETHA and its partners for providing exceptional training to foster Rwanda’s hospitality sector. He also recognized the role of parents in supporting their children’s pursuit of careers in hospitality and culinary arts.

“Many of these students were school dropouts or unemployed youth. Recent statistics show over a million young people in Rwanda are unemployed. We thank H.E. Paul Kagame and our government for empowering youth to join the labor market and create their own jobs. Graduates, let us serve our country—vocational skills are a powerful tool. We remain committed to expanding vocational education for both youth and adults.”

 

 

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