the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

Table 6.29: Educational Background of Workers in the Tourism Industry
in the Okavango Delta, 2001
Educational Background Number of Tourism Workers Percentage
Never been to school 4 4.1
Primary level education 14 14.3
Junior certificate 37 37.7
o Level (Form IV) 22 22.4
Tertiary certificate 18 18.4
Diploma 3 3.1
Degree 0 0
Total 98 100
Source: Adapted From Mbaiwa, 2002.
As can be seen from Table 6.29,56.1 percent of the 98 tourism employees
interviewed by Mbaiwa in 2001 did not finish school, while only 21.5 percent have
any form of tertiary level education or training. The majority of tourism workers in the
Delta were also generally not sent for any from of formal training by their respective
employers, in the form of short certificate courses (such as catering, travel and
hospitality, accounting, professional guiding, administration and any other
specialized skills). Of the 98 tourism workers interviewed by Mbaiwa in 2001, the
majority (76 or 77.6 percent) stated that they were never sent for training by their
respective employers (Mbaiwa, 2002).
However, despite the poor formal educational background of the majority of the
workers in the tourism sector in the Okavango, the on-the-job training that is
provided to workers by the respective tourism businesses, operators, facilities, etc.,
has generally proven to be adequate in equipping them with the necessary skills
needed to perform their particular duties.
With regards to the academic qualifications of those in management positions in the
hotels, lodges and safari camps in the Okavango Delta, findings by Mbaiwa, from 30
tourist accommodation facilities, indicate that 12 (40 percent) of the managers hold a
Bachelor's Degree, 7 (23 percent) hold a diploma, while the remaining 11 (37
percent) have a matric, 0 or A levels (Figure 6.6) (Mbaiwa, 2002).
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