Restart New Mexico will pay the cost for a group of New Mexico residents to take one of two mastery certificate programs offered through New Mexico State University to address skills gaps in the hospitality and tourism industry.
As the industry begins to recover from the pandemic, it now faces a second crisis of a lack of workers to open and operate hotels, restaurants and other tourism businesses.
To address these skills gaps and prepare employees to enter the hospitality and tourism workforce, the NMSU School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, in conjunction with the NMSU Office of Digital Learning, has been awarded funding from Restart New Mexico to develop and deliver content mastery certificate programs.
Two certificate programs will be offered in sets of three courses, entirely online through NMSU On-Demand.
The first set, “Customer Service Essentials for Supervisors and Managers,” covers supervision and management for excellent customer service.
The second set, “Essentials of Food and Beverage Operations,” addresses food and beverage skills and competencies necessary for the high-demand positions of fast-food and counter workers, cooks and food prep, and waiters and waitresses, including New Mexico food-handlers’ certification.
The funds from Restart NM will pay for the cost for a group of New Mexico residents to complete the certificate course of their choosing. The certificate programs are also available to non-residents, but will require payment.
For all courses, applicants must read and speak English fluently. Applicants will also need regular access to a computer and the internet (four to six hours per week, spread across several days). Applicants must be at least 16 years old.
For the second series of short courses, “Customer Service Essentials for Supervisors and Managers,” applicants should either be currently employed in the hospitality industry or have completed the first series “Essentials of Customer Service.”
Both courses will begin Feb. 28. It is anticipated that the courses will continue to be offered as part of the long-term sustainable strategy of preparing and keeping the workforce in New Mexico.
For more information about the project or certificates, email jhertzma@nmsu.edu. Registration is open now for the “Customer Service Essentials for Supervisors and Managers” course and the “Essentials of Food and Beverage Operations” course. Participants will be asked to complete a brief survey. The first 25 New Mexico residents to do so will receive a promo code to complete the registration for free.