Internships begin at Gran Pacifica

November 2010: Hope and Development has helped to partner the local schools with private businesses in the creation of internship positions. Six students from the nearby high school in Santa Rita have recently begun internships in Gran Pacifica. As part of a technical diploma the school offers, the students need to complete 200 hours of training and working in the tourist industry. The school offers classes in housekeeping, gardening, maintenance, computing, and office skills among others. As the tourism industry is ever growing in this pacific area, so is the need of skilled employees. This new internship is one way in which we are assisting to bring new job opportunities to community members. In connecting these students with Gran Pacifica our goal is to develop an ongoing relationship that is beneficial to all parties involved.

The six students will be working in a variety of areas including cleaning pools, gardening, and working at the stables. Upon the completion of their internship they will receive a letter of recommendation as well as a certification of successful completion of the internship. While the students are not guaranteed a job at Gran Pacifica, they will certainly be considered for any openings. Their first days were filled with lots of observation and learning the procedures and expectations of their specific areas. The students were eager to begin and jumped right into their selected areas.