Anita Halman, outstanding tourism professional

Anita Halman received the Outstanding Journeyperson Award in the Guest Services Representative Trade at the 17th annual Apprenticeship Awards, hosted by the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) in Regina in October, 2017.

Anita works as Assistant Front Desk Manager at the Park Town Hotel in Saskatoon.

"I wanted to have experience to help other people to see how amazing tourism work is," she says, explaining why she chose to enrol in the Guest Service Representative apprenticeship program.

Becoming a journeyperson provides experience that lets her help other people see how amazing the work is in the industry.

"I really enjoy the work, the many people I can meet and talk to and be able to give this passion to other people."

Originally from Poland, Anita says that studying to become a journeyperson in Saskatchewan helped her quickly adapt to business practices in Canada.

Working in a family-owned hotel in Saskatoon is very different from her previous experience in a chain hotel, she adds.

There are differences in how chains and independent businesses approach customer service, but the people are different, too, she says.

"It's more people that we know. It’s people that are coming and staying with us all the time. Working at the front desk is much more like working with friends and family."

"It was really good," Anita says of the work she put into becoming a journeyperson and the people she met along the way. "I really felt appreciated."