Certification program builds employee pride

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If any other hotel had a pack of "wolves" roaming its halls, the manager might be calling for pest control. But not Clarence Neault: the manager of the La Ronge Motor Hotel not only wants to keep his pack, he's proud to have them.

"The W.O.L.F. Pack", as Neault calls them, are six of the hotel's staff, who are now nationally certified housekeeping attendants. The achievement marks the end of a five-year project called Workplace Open Learning Fulfillment (W.O.L.F.), whose goal was to get all of the hotel's long-term housekeepers (over 75 per cent of the department) recognized as professionals in their field, certify their prior learning, and create a workplace environment in which national standards are taken for granted as part of the job.

The first to be certified was Tracy Moosewaypayo, who later starred in a housekeeping training video produced by the hotel. She was followed by Elsie Halkett (who now works for the La Ronge Health Centre) and Angie McDonald, head of the housekeeping and janitorial departments. Neault then approached McDonald about co-ordinating a training program for the housekeeping staff.

The hotel now boasts a learning centre, where staff can practice their literacy skills and use training materials provided by the Saskatchewan Tourism Education Council (STEC). McDonald is available daily to co-ordinate group learning sessions, administer tests and serve as a resource for her colleagues.

While some of the recently trained staff preferred to complete the STEC workbook on their own, others found group sessions a joy.

Asked what she appreciated most, Jean B. Charles instantly recalled "the joking around and laughing when we were in the classroom -we could do it in Cree."

As an instructor, McDonald also liked being able to use Cree, her first language, as she and her colleagues bounced questions and ideas off one another and practiced their skills. She is also pleased by what she has gained by her involvement: not only camaraderie, but also a new level of responsibility.

"I can get into a better job. I'm a manager now," McDonald said. "I was able to jump up . . . . I'm proud to say where I am (working) now."

Her colleagues-Cathy Venne, Margaret Clinton and Vicki Hunt-echoed those thoughts.

"I'm so proud of working here," Hunt said. "It was hard, but I got it."

That sense of pride is exactly what Neault was aiming for. "Number one, standards are taught, and number two, it does create a sense of professionalism and ownership, which equals dollars for us. They care for the business," he said.

As well, having staff well trained creates an atmosphere where learning is valued, and new employees are "automatically inducted" into that climate, Neault said. Chuckling, he pointed to the STEC pin all certified staff wear. "They all want a pin," he said of his newer employees.

"For the first-time ever, we're seeing recognition of these front-line workers," said Carol Lum, STEC's executive director. "They have an opportunity now to test themselves against national standards. You think you're good at what you do, now you have a chance to prove it. . . . It's no longer training to someone's opinion."

Certification also gives workers more flexibility, because employers know what skills certification implies, and it also gives the employer a certain cache: he or she can advertise for certified staff, and use them as an advertising tool, Lum said.

"It can say to visitors both foreign and local that we ascribe to very high standards on this property. We have certified employees."