This summer, LCNV's summer Intensive Class students have reached another 100% passing rate for the Guest Service Gold® certification exam - 10 of 10 students who completed the training have passed the exam and earned the Certified Guest Service Professional credential. Since its implementation in 2018, 64 LCNV students have received this nationally recognized certificate.
What is Guest Service Gold?
The Guest Service Gold® is a training program by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) that will help individuals in the hospitality industry provide excellent customer service to their guests. They will focus on seven key elements for delivering top-quality customer service. After completing the training, students can earn the Certified Guest Service Professional credential by taking and passing the certification exam. The aim of the course is to provide participants with the confidence and skill to engage with customers more confidently in English. LCNV is offering the training at 3 locations this spring: Centreville, Herndon, and Falls Church.
The Guest Service Gold® class is the first of LCNV’s Integrated Education and Training (IET) program offerings. Required by the Workplace Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to access federal funding, IET is an “adult education and workforce development program model that provides simultaneous instruction in basic skills as well as occupational or industry-specific training” (Bergon-Shilcock, 2016). In other words, adult learners no longer have to follow the traditional sequential track of completing basic English language classes before being allowed to participate in occupational training. Our learners can learn English while attaining skills and credentials to improve their employability prospects.
In order to meet the needs of our students, LCNV is taking a “team teaching” approach in which the Guest Service Gold® training is taught by 2 instructors: an English language teacher and an occupational trainer. The English teacher is responsible for helping students acquire the language skills to access the training material. For example, the teacher pre-teaches common vocabulary and grammar encountered in the hospitality industry. Then the occupational trainer, who has industry expertise, provides instruction that’s supported by real-life experience and anecdotes.
Works Cited
Bergon-Shilcock, A. (2016). Integrated Education and Training Policy Toolkit: Park of NSC's Skills Equity Agenda. Retrieved from National Skills Coalition: https://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/resources/publications/file/Integrated-Education-and-Training-Policy-Toolkit.pdf