HOSP8227 - Certification for Hawai‘i Professional Tour Guides

Course Description

The Certification for Hawaii Professional Tour Guides recognizes that a professional tour guide has met the required knowledge, skills, and competencies that align with established professional standards.

According to Olelo No‘eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings by Mary K. Pukui, "in old Hawai‘i, every passerby was greeted and offered food whether he was an acquaintance or a total stranger". Similarly, a customer service representative, or "Ambassador of Aloha", shares the responsibility for conveying a sense or professionalism in all situations, sharing factual knowledge of our host culture, displaying diplomacy and protocol in serving customers and caring for the ‘aina while providing an engaging, memorable and safe experience for our global customers, including residents of Hawai‘i.

The recommended training pathway for the certification is the Certificate for Customer Service in Hawai‘i program. It aligns with the professional standards for “Ambassadors of Aloha” and it was designed using the host culture of Hawai‘i as the foundation for customer service. This program covers the following topics:

• Introduction to the Service Industry in Hawai‘i (HOSP8201)
• Servicing the Global Customer (HOSP8202)
• Ho'okipa Me Ke Aloha (HOSP8204)
• Foundations of Hawai'i (HOSP8205)
• Communicate with Impact (HOSP8210)
• Know Your Island (HOSP8203)
• Certification Exam (HOSP8211)

Certification Exam for Tour Guides

The certification exam is designed to assess all of your training and career experiences. To receive your certification, you are expected to:

• Attend at least 80% of training sessions (on Zoom)
• Complete all online assignments
• Score a minimum of 75% on both parts of the certification exam
  • Part I – knowledge exam which covers the following topics:
    • Professional standards for Hawai‘i’s Ambassadors of Aloha
    • Hawaiian history, language, and culture
    • The importance of Ho‘okipa and its relationship to Hawai‘i’s visitor industry
    • Providing customer service to a diverse, global audience
  • Part II – design and delivery of a sample tour that demonstrates your ability to:
    • Design a customized tour based on customer preferences and island-specific interests and attractions
    • Demonstrate cultural sensitivity and the appropriate response in servicing a global customer base
    • Deliver factual and respectful information about Hawai‘i’s history, culture, and language using learned communication, interpretation, and storytelling skills

For Online courses:

It includes live online sessions. We will use Zoom (online conferencing software) to hold discussions and practice hands-on skills. To attend the live online sessions in Zoom, the following equipment is recommended:

• Access to a more recent model desktop or laptop, either Windows or Mac or Android or Apple mobile device
• Supported Operating Systems for desktop and laptop: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later, Windows 10 or Windows 8 or 8.1 OR supported Operating Systems for mobile devices: iOS 7.0 or later, iPad OS 13 or later, Android 4.0x or later, Kindle Fire HD
• Reliable high-speed (cable or DSL) internet connection
• Internet browser such as Firefox, Chrome, Edge, or Safari
• Recommended: webcam, headset with microphone, if your device does not already have a webcam and microphone

Course Outline

The program will include the following:

• Training modules
  • Introduction to the Service Industry in Hawai‘i
  • Servicing the Global Customer
  • Ho‘okipa Me Ke Aloha
  • Foundations of Hawai‘i
  • Communicate with Impact
  • Know Your Islands
• Certification exam

Learner Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to use the knowledge gained to:

1. Apply professional standards for “Ambassadors of Aloha” to jobs in all sectors of Hawai‘i’s visitor and service industries.
2. Apply professional standards when managing customer service situations.
3. Incorporate the service principles of “Hospitality with Aloha” in your role as professional “Ambassadors of Hawai‘i”.
4. Respond appropriately to a diverse customer audience.
5. Provide memorable customer service experiences based on guest preferences and requests.
6. Share information about Hawai‘i’s history, language, culture, and islands with authenticity.

Notes

Certificate Eligibility Requirements

Certificate issued to tour guides only (if passed certification exam): Certification for Hawaii's Professional Tour Guides

If you are a student with a documented disability and have not voluntarily disclosed the nature of your disability so that we may coordinate the accommodations you need, you are invited to contact the Disability Support Services Office (DSSO) in ‘Ilima 107, ph.734-9552, or email kapdss@hawaii.edu for assistance. For students whose primary disability is Deaf or hard of hearing, contact the KCC Deaf Center at ph. 734-9210 (V), 447-1379 (videophone), or email kapdeaf1@hawaii.edu.

Please note: you will need to contact Kapi’olani CC’s DSSO or Deaf Center to request accommodations in a Kapi’olani CC course even if you’ve already registered or are receiving services at another UH campus’s disability support program.

Recommendations

• Knowledge of global geography, politics & economies
• Effective verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills with respect to similarities and differences within cultures and languages
• Knowledge and application of global business etiquette and protocol
• Awareness of gender and generational roles
• Awareness of social and business trends

Testimonials

The Ho‘okipa Me Ke Aloha classes have made a difference in the level of customer service with our transportation company. We were very fortunate to collaborate and design a customized hospitality course with KCC. The course stressed the employee’s role or “kuleana” in the JTB organization or “ohana”, and the role of the specific company, such as Travel Plaza Transportation. The focus on their role instilled in them pride in their company and in themselves. That pride in turn enhanced their performance in giving good customer service which in turn increased the number of compliments and reduced the number of complaints The instructor’s expertise in Hawaiian culture and language is outstanding. His desire to share information is contagious and our staff have used his “stories” to share with their customers, which in turn creates an enjoyable experience for our visitors.

Lena Young, Corporate Director of Operations & Human Resources, JTB Hawaii, Inc.

All components of the (State of Hawai‘i Certification for Tour Drivers and Guides) training were well organized and extremely relevant. I was particularly impressed with the knowledge and teaching skills of Ms. Jaime (Uluwehi) Hopkins, although all instructors were good. I learned a lot from Ms. Hopkins who provided excellent insights into Hawaiian language and culture.