Orlando, Florida, March 2015 – The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and DECA, Inc., have signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to provide career and technical education students and teachers with targeted hospitality and tourism curriculum, training, and professional certification.
Through this agreement, high school and college students who achieve proficiency on DECA’s state/provincial level and International Career Development Conference level Hospitality & Tourism Cluster Exam will be awarded AHLEI’s Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP®) designation. Additionally, students achieving proficiency on the Collegiate Hospitality & Tourism Cluster Exam will be awarded the knowledge component of the Certified Hospitality Supervisor (CHS®) designation, exempting them from taking the CHS® exam. Students will still need to complete the time in position requirement before obtaining the CHS® designation.
DECA will also promote AHLEI’s training and certification opportunities for educators, including the Certified Hospitality Instructor (CHI) for high school teachers and the Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE®) for college professors. The two organizations will also collaborate on the design and execution of new teacher training initiatives, including conference workshops and webinars.
“We are thrilled to connect AHLEI’s certification with DECA’s Competitive Events Program. Both are industry-validated and widely recognized as integral to developing the talent pipeline for the hospitality industry,” said Paul Wardinski, DECA’s executive director.
“DECA has a great reputation for building a talent pipeline for our future workforce,” said Shelly Weir, AHLEI’s vice president, domestic sales. “We are delighted to be able to provide DECA students with our industry-recognized credentials to enhance their marketability even further. It’s a win-win for both of our organizations and most importantly, for the students.”
