September 2018

Zakariyya “Zaki” Easa, Training & Development Manager for award-winning Crown & Champa Resorts has been with the company for over 19 years and offers insightful secrets to success in Training & Development in the Maldives.

Training & Development is an essential department in any organization, where employees are further equipped with a range of skills designed to enhance their job performance and shape their overall career goals. In the Hospitality Industry, resorts and hotels further invest their resources on training employees, and most importantly, developing the necessary skills within the company.

Born and raised in the Maldives, Zaki holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Open University of Malaysia; a Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management Honours from the University of Toulouse in France (via Taylor’s University of Malaysia); and has maintained a successful track record working in various departments of the hospitality industry.

He has grown in his career with Crown & Champa Resorts during the past 19 years, focusing on all the operational departments from junior levels to executive levels. His multifaceted management skills include the highest level of compliance-based activities, such as Implementation and HACCP/Food Safety Training, and currently leading the Training and Development team representing the entire award-winning group.

Zaki’s acute knowledge and experience allows him to observe the various changes in the training processes employed by various companies in the Maldives, ‘the perspective of Employee Training and Development has drastically changed over the years in Maldives, from least valued sector to the most vital strategic business tool towards a necessary competitive edge’, he mentions. He further emphasises the need to have skilled trainers at the various Crown & Champa Resorts properties.

“To sustain business success, quality standards and continuity of service improvements at a competitive edge, multi-skilled and experienced trainers are vital. Their partnership is inseparable from a company’s business strategies and the business plans.”

Open communication and genuine partnership are some of the reasons why the Training & Development Department at Crown & Champa Resorts is so successful and essentially, one of the leading teams in the Maldives. Zaki finds that although each company is unique, very few keep the global workforce in mind when creating training portfolios. Key factors such as cultural and generational differences in the workforce affect how receptive an employee is to any training activity.

There are many facets to understanding the factors that affect an employee’s development within a company. Zaki mentions, ‘not having clear expectations at an operational level, as well as a career and succession plan.’ He further states that career goals serve as a fundamental motivational tool for any employee who wants to work in this industry. ‘A development plan with a realistic time frame builds trusted social contract between employees and employers’, he adds. This plan eventually helps to sustain continuous service improvements by retaining qualified and experience employees.

Crown & Champa Resorts offer a variety of development programmes for the benefit of the employee, the company and our guests. These include a Sponsorship Programme for in-house staff, Graduate Management Training Programme, as well as Departmental and Inter-Resort Cross Exposure Programme.

“Apart from basic education qualification, good behaviour, a positive attitude, flexibility and a passionate for your work. The ideal scholarship programme candidate is a person who loves to learn and improve knowledge/skills, is results oriented and a people’s person.”

Find out more about one of the successful recipients of a Crown & Champa Resorts scholarship here.

Download our 5 ways to improve your Training & Development Methods and enhance your own teams… the Crown & Champa Resorts way.

The Maldives has been awarded several international accolades over the years attesting to the sheer beauty of the Islands, as well as a hint at what makes the country one of the TOP travel destinations in the world. The awards include: Best Honeymoon Destination, Best Sea Destination, Best Travel Destination, World’s Leading Beach Destination, World’s Leading Dive Destination and Indian Ocean’s Best Spa Destination.

In the archipelago of coral islands, grouped into 26 atolls, the Maldives is purely surrounded by the pristine Indian Ocean. Each Island boasts its own charm and beauty, which saw the first tourist arrivals in 1972 completely engulfed with the idyllic paradise. The Tourism Industry of Maldives continued to grow at an exceptional rate with almost 800 establishments to date across all atolls catering to the increasing number of tourist arrivals each year.

The Islands

With sand as soft as powder, spanning around the Island, The Maldives calls for a “no shoes, no news” lifestyle. Travelers enjoy the barefoot luxuries afforded by Resorts that make up the entirety of each Island. Days are spent under swaying palm trees along the beach and the sound of the shore inviting you for a swim.

Another captivating reason why the Maldives is the perfect holiday destination is the crystal clear lagoon that surrounds each Island. The pristine shades of blue ranging from sparkling turquoise to royal blue are inviting enough for a swim and often times, to explore the colorful marine life that lies beneath.

The Marine Life

The shallow lagoons are perfect for snorkeling, while the reef walls offer a variety of sea life for more experienced divers to explore. The fantastic underwater diversity includes lively corals and over 2000 species of fish, ranging from Sea Turtles, Reef Fish and Reef Sharks to Moray Eels, Rays and Whale Sharks.

The People

Hospitality and Service are some of the subtlest yet important reasons why travelers return to the Islands, year after year; the warmth and friendliness of staff, the personalized service and authentic culture, as well as the artful touches that make each stay unforgettable.

Leading Hotel & Resorts Group in the Maldives, Crown & Champa Resorts combines the natural and authentic charm of an untouched tropical Island, with specially designed accommodation and experiences to suit each traveler’s needs. The properties place emphasis on the Maldivian hospitality that makes the Islands more than just a popular holiday destination, for many, the Maldives become a second home.

Crown & Champa Resorts properties are located in the North Male’ Atoll, Meeru Island Resort & Spa; the Ari Atoll, Veligandu Island Resort & Spa in the North,  Vilamendhoo island Resort & Spa in the South; the capital city of Male’, Champa Central Hotel; and the Lhaviyani Atoll, Hurawalhi Island Resort, Kuredu Island Resort & Spa and Komandoo Island Resort & Spa, as well as Kudadoo Private Island by Hurawalhi Island Resort and Innahura Island Resort .