8th graders earn hospitality certificate
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Exploring Careers Class of eighth graders at Albany Jr./Sr. High recently completed the Texas Friendly Hospitality Program, earning certificates of achievement from Texas A&M and the AgriLife Extension Service.
The class is part of the curriculum taught by Jennifer Marshall, who took the position in August, has half of the eighth grades enrollment currently. The semester course will end in December, with the other half of the class taking the class in the spring.
The program was implemented by Texas A&M and the Extension Service to train business owners and employees, as well as students, how to conduct positive exchanges with customers, visitors, or guests.
“I tried to make it as applicable as possible by having them discuss examples they have experienced with employees that were both positive and negative,” Marshall said. “Mostly they had experiences involving the food service industry, but it applies to all types of retail and service businesses that have direct interaction with the public.”
Marshall said that the curriculum taught the basics of providing good customer service and how employees can create positive images for the business where they are employed. How to address customer complaints was also a focus of the course.
The teacher invited Albany Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones to speak to the class about the importance of providing the kind of customer service to keep the community a destination for visitors.
“They were able to see Albany as a destination that people come to visit, which was something most of them had not considered,” Marshall said. “It can be something as simple as learning how to give visitors clear directions.”
A total of 22 students completed the five modules of the curriculum and were awarded certificates.
“They learned some of the skills needed to be a good employee, which should help them when they apply for jobs in the future,” Marshall said. “This will give them something to put on an application or resume even if it’s their first job.”
Marshall also teaches CTE classes at the high school level and is the sponsor of the FCCLA chapter.
