Human capital is one of the key ingredients in the recipe for Bermuda Tourism success.

And initiatives are underway in an effort to improve the training, education and attitudes among Bermuda's tourism employees.

Human capital development was the main topic of discussion at an open meeting at the Chamber of Commerce put on by members of the Bermuda Tourism Competitiveness Programme (BTCP) at noon yesterday.

Monitor Company consultants Jeff Wetzler and Steve Searfoss were joined by Clare Mello of the Bermuda Employer's Council for a presentation to an audience of some 20 who were then called on for their own input.

Human capital is a key ingredient in the revitalised Bermuda tourism industry the BTCP is trying to create, explained Mr. Searfoss.

This industry will have to change the way it does business by no longer mass marketing its natural assets -- which can be easily reproduced elsewhere -- to a broad range of possible clients.

Instead it will have to determine which customers it wants to attract and develop the services and products they want. To attract and keep the top end clientele Bermuda intends to pursue, he continued, the tourism industry workforce has to be highly skilled and possess a healthy attitude.

This development is two-fold, explained Mr. Wetzler.

The roles of employees have to be developed so they are more complex, thereby allowing employees to make decisions pertaining to visitors, have their performance measured and also be rewarded for their efforts.

At the same time, these roles must be filled by employees who have gone through a standard selection process, been trained formally and been evaluated and received feedback on the job.

Initiatives underway in Bermuda to develop this area include workshops, award schemes and joint projects between tourism partners, said Mr. Searfoss.

Productive dialogue workshops aim to give tourism players, including employees, employers, hoteliers and union representatives, the skills they need to handle difficult interactions by building trust and reducing defensiveness.

Meanwhile, customer learning design workshops look at informing business leaders about the different types of customers their businesses could try to attract and the strategy their operations need.

The People's Choice Awards recognise outstanding employees in the tourism industry who have been recognised by their peers -- considered the most valuable form of recognition -- and Hotel 2000 has seen a number of committees made up of hoteliers and union representatives begin work on a series of different issues.

Elsewhere, a group of hospitality professionals have joined forces under the banner of The Link and, in partnership with the Bermuda Employer's Council (BEC) and Visitor Industry Partnership, have kicked off a school education programme, said Ms Mello.

This scheme sees members of the hospitality industry go into the schools and talk to students about career opportunities in the tourism industry in a bid to generate interest in careers in tourism and clear up any misconceptions.

A second partnership between the National Training Board and the BEC has seen the introduction of the Investors in People programme which provides standards for the improvement and development of organisations and the people who work in them.