MUSCAT: The Ministry of Education, represented by the Directorate-General of Special Education and Continuous Learning, in cooperation with Oman College of Tourism, has begun a training programme in tourism guidance skills for students with hearing disability of special education schools. The five-day training course is being held at Oman College of Tourism.
The course aims to prepare 18 students of special education schools for the deaf to work in the tourism industry, especially in the field of tourism guidance, and to provide them with the concepts of tourism. It also aims to provide them with basic information about the Sultanate of Oman and to develop the skills necessary to pursue the profession of tourism guidance. The training course also seeks to provide the participating students with the skills necessary to independently prepare, plan and direct tours, and understand the needs of tourists.
In a statement, Badr bin Saeed al Dhehli, Director of Tourism Studies and Administration Department, said: “This is the first training course of its kind in the college that is concerned with developing the skills of students with hearing disabilities. Through this course, we seek to strengthen cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the Oman College of Tourism, to develop students’ skills in the tourism sector, which is characterised by the diversity of employment opportunities for many segments of society, especially in the fields of care and support. This course seeks to enable these students to deal, guide and direct their fellow tourists who need sign language.”
“The programme continues for five days and includes the theoretical aspect in which a group of teaching methods are used, including lectures, group discussions, presentations and multimedia resources to enhance students' understanding of the content of the training programme, and is presented to the students inside the campus. The course also includes a practical side, in which the trainee gets acquainted with the mechanism of dealing with tourists at the airport, hotels and during tours. It is expected upon completion of this course that the trainee will be able to accompany their peers with hearing disabilities on tours inside the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, museums, and the most important tourist attractions in Muscat, in addition to taking them on tours inside the old city of Muscat, and providing basic tourism services, especially at airports and hotels,” Badr al Dhehli added.
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