Boost has partnered with Thailand’s Hospitality & Catering Training Centre (HCTC) in Mae Sot to provide free English language training via our mobile app Boost Voice. Boost provided 65 licenses of this mobile training solution to HCTC’s students for 12 months, allowing the students to build up and improve their English language skills for hospitality. HCTC prepares students from less fortunate socioeconomic backgrounds for a career in Thailand’s hospitality industry and recruits students from North-Western Thailand.
“We train and prepare hundreds of students for a bright career in hospitality and Boost’s technology will help bring them to the next level in terms of English language skills” says Mr. William Harden, HCTC Director, adding “Language is essential in hospitality – you cannot separate language from guest service – and so it is important that our students have access to tools that will allow them to speak clearly and competently. Boost Voice is specifically designed for hospitality and is perfectly suited to our ‘mobile first’ students. We are very grateful for Boost’s generosity and look forward to seeing the benefits this will bring our students”.
Boost Voice teaches employees English and/or Mandarin language skills using content that is department specific and developed by hoteliers. Employing gamification, the solution is interactive and encourages students to learn continuously and consistently. Importantly, the solution is designed with input from hoteliers and trains students in English language skills that are most relevant to the hospitality industry.
“Boost Voice equips students and employees with language skills that is most relevant to the work place” says Allan Taylor, CEO of Boost, adding “We are very proud to partner with HCTC and help them with their good work preparing Thai youth for a productive and fulfilling career in hospitality. We hope that with Boost Voice, their language skills will further improve and help their own life and career prospects”.
Boost Voice will be deployed alongside HCTC’s own training team who will continue to teach their curriculum.
About Hospitality & Catering Training Centre (HCTC) Mae Sot
Mae Sot, located in north-western Thailand, is home to a patchwork of ethnic groups – among these are the Thai Karen hill tribes. With the development of Thailand’s socioeconomic environment and the limited access to basic social services, training and employment in the area, it has become increasingly difficult for them to earn a living.
As a result, plenty of youth leave their family for the big cities to seek a better future. Unequipped with the required skills and knowledge, it is nearly impossible for them to find a proper job. This makes them easy targets for exploitation and abuse.
Fortunately, there is hope: a feasibility study confirmed that Thailand’s booming hospitality industry is on the lookout for dependable, qualified staff to fill entry-level positions. With this in mind, the concept of a school specializing in vocational hospitality and catering education was developed in 2008 with the joint-support of two NGOs: IECD (Institut Europeen de Cooperation et de Developpement) and TBCAF (Tak Border Child Assistance Foundation). After further development, this initiative finally opened its doors as the Hospitality & Catering Training Centre giving Thai Karen young adults the opportunity for a brighter future through education.
