SA College for Tourism wins BHP Billiton Achiever Award

Mr André Kilian, Executive Director of the SA College for Tourism (middle) receives the Award from BHP Billiton

On 26 July 2012, the SA College for Tourism won the prestigious BHP Billiton Achiever Award in the category Best Training Programme: Tourism.

The BHP Billiton Achiever Awards honour and recognise companies (of all sizes), government departments, and organisations who have demonstrated their commitment to the advancement of their employees’ skills base by implementing skills development and training programmes that are relevant, innovative and effective. The honours of the Achiever Awards are bestowed upon employers whose skills development programmes have undergone a rigorous judging process by an independent panel of senior government officials, academics, and qualified trade and industry experts. The judging criteria are based on the following:
Innovation
Industry relevance
Sustainability
Exceptional creativity
Socio-economic impact

BHP Billiton is the world’s largest diversified natural resources company. Dr Xolani Mkhwanazi, BHP Billiton’s SA Chairperson, said: “The Skills Development Summit and Achiever Awards are an important platform for corporate South Africa, government, Sector Education Training Authorities (SETA), trade councils and the public to join together and discuss the business of skills development, as well as conceptualise effective solutions for the challenges facing our country today. Addressing these issues is of utmost importance to our company and is aligned with our corporate philosophy of ‘Resourcing the Future’.”

Mr Kilian proudly displays the Award

Mr André Kilian, Executive Director of the SA College for Tourism said that it was a tremendous honour for the College to receive this recognition.

The SA College for Tourism was established in 2001 by the late Dr Anton Rupert, then chairman of Peace Parks Foundation. Every year, the College trains 90 young women from impoverished backgrounds on a year-long course that focuses exclusively on developing hospitality service skills. Thus equipped, they are able to return home and find employment within the tourism infrastructure supported by transfrontier conservation areas (peace parks). Since 2010, the College’s Tracker Academy also trains 16 trackers every year.

BHP Billiton has also been a Peace Parks Club corporate member of Peace Parks Foundation since 1998 and renewed its 10-year membership in 2009. The Foundation is very grateful to BHP Billiton for the ongoing support of its work.