Tour guide cadets train for Visit Lampung Year 2009
The Jakarta Post , Bandarlampung, Mon, 11/03/2008
Sixteen young people sit relaxed behind computers in a classroom in Lampung's capital city Bandarlampung. They are training at the Learning and Development Center (BPKB) to become tour leaders.
Course instructor Yolinda leads the class in English conversation, which they continue while taking a break and sharing snacks.
"What are you eating," asked a visitor.
"I'm eating a biscuit," replied Suci Wahyuni, a 17-year-old who recently finished a sewing course in a non-formal education program.
"Is it manis (sweet), asin (salty) or pedas (spicy)?"
"It's sweet," Suci said.
When asked about her plans after completing the course, Suci said in English that she wanted to become a tour guide for foreign visitors in Way Kambas and Kalianda, two popular tourist spots in Lampung.
Another trainee, 21-year-old Taufik, expressed a similar desire.
"I want to provide information on Lampung tourism, about Way Kambas and Krakatau," said the graduate of SMIP, a vocational tourism school. Taufik has also been an intern at a hotel.
Way Kambas is an elephant reserve on the province's east coast. Kalianda, a port town on Lampung's southern tip, boasts coastal scenery, beaches, trips to offshore islands, hot springs and hiking trails at the foot of the 1,284 meter high Mount Rajabasa. The vast range of options make Lampung a diverse destination.
Krakatau, the volcano in the Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java, is another attraction.
Tour guide trainees pose with their course instructor Yolinda (second left) in Bandarlampung, Lampung province. The course aims to serve as a model for tour guide training programs. (JP/Warief Djajanto Basorie)
Yolinda, a professional interpreter for visiting foreign dignitaries and businesspeople in Lampung, stirred excitement with her multilingual skills and overseas experience.
Apart from English, Yolinda also speaks Dutch, Spanish and Norwegian. She lived for 15 years in Holland, three years in Norway and two years in Spain.
"I like this work. The participants show so much enthusiasm that they ask for an hour's extension of the sessions and want to come to class during holidays too,"
Yolinda, a professional interpreter for visiting foreign dignitaries and businesspeople in Lampung, stirred excitement with her multilingual skills and overseas experience.
Apart from English, Yolinda also speaks Dutch, Spanish and Norwegian. She lived for 15 years in Holland, three years in Norway and two years in Spain.
"I like this work. The participants show so much enthusiasm that they ask for an hour's extension of the sessions and want to come to class during holidays too," Yolinda said.
When asked if they enjoyed the course, 31-year-old Dian, a nonformal education teacher, gave a straightforward and honest reply.
"I like it because she's smart and beautiful," Dian said, causing laughter from the class and muted protest from Yolinda.
Dian, Suci, Taufik and their classmates are taking an intensive tour guide competency course that began in mid August.
The course lasts for 48 sessions, from 8 a.m. to midday and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. each working day.
Twenty-six of the sessions are in English, with other topics including local tourism knowledge, pubic relations and personal presentation.
"We'll add new material as we see fit," says Farizal A.T., a program planning officer at the BPKB, a center under the auspices of the provincial education office.
The BPKB runs many courses -- from food processing to computer studies and early childhood education -- based on the needs of the area as well as the unemployment problem in Lampung, Farizal said.
In the tourism sector, Lampung has many tourist destinations but few trained guides.
"Many guides come from outside the province. We want the job to go to Lampung's young job seekers, particularly in the run up to Visit Lampung Year 2009," said Farizal.
He then named a list of Lampung's tourist attractions, from Kalianda, Krakatau, Way Kambas to Krue on the west coast, which is popular for surfing and hunting.
The tour guide course is the first of its kind with partial funding coming from the central government budget. It is free for students who board at the center throughout the course.
Upon completion, students who pass the exam are placed with local tour operators and help promote Lampung in 2009. The course itself serves as a model for tour guide training programs.
Farizal underscored the program's experimental nature. "This is a trial and error course. We will tirelessly try and try again to make it the best we can."
