Belize is investing in the people behind its tourism experience. The Belize Tourism Board and St. John’s College have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Elevate Training Institute, a national hospitality training center at Stochl Hall in Belize City.
The institute will offer practical training in culinary arts, hospitality management, customer service, front desk operations, tour guiding and other specialized fields. A teaching kitchen will anchor the culinary program.
Director of Tourism Evan Tillett said the center gives the industry a permanent home for training that is already underway. “This now gives us that brick and mortar presence so that we can continue to train and develop the tourism sector,” he said.
The project also brings a historic building back to life. Stochl Hall once housed programs for students who had not finished high school, but it has been closed since 2011. St. John’s College President Mirtha Peralta said reopening it continues Father Stochl’s belief in giving students an opportunity and a second chance.
The college’s hospitality program currently serves about 60 junior college students and is expected to grow with the new institute.
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Training will be delivered by international trainers alongside Belizeans certified through a train the trainer program. Graduates will earn internationally recognized certifications through partners including the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute and the American Culinary Federation, opening doors to further study and careers in Belize and abroad.
The BTB is funding the institute, which is expected to cost approximately $750,000.
For visitors, the payoff is simple: better trained chefs, guides and hospitality staff across the country, and a stronger standard of service wherever you stay in Belize.
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