GULF SHORES, Ala. — “Southern hospitality literally pays off in the state’s economy. While the state can help fund grant programs like this, it takes people to step up to the plate,” explained Bradley Byrne, chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, during Friday’s special recognition ceremony for the Five Star Southern Hospitality Program. 

On April 24, this customer service training program for the hospitality and tourism industry reached another plateau as The Beach Club in Gulf Shores became the first Pleasure Island business member to become a Five Star Southern Hospitality Provider. To achieve this honor, 70 percent of the company’s full-time force completed all of the necessary course work to receive a Five Star Southern Hospitality certification. 

“This is an outstanding example of businesses and education working together toward a common goal, and then putting very specific training classes together so that our employees can help us reach that goal,” said Bob Higgins, chair of the Southwest Alabama Workforce Development Council and vice-president of the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance. “We continue to cite this as a model that we believe other industry sectors in our region will follow.” 

The Five Star Southern Hospitality program is supported in part by a $105,000 Hospitality Workforce Skills Training Initiative grant administered through Byrne’s office from the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development. The grant was used for program development and to offset a portion of the course tuition. While the introductory Hospitality 101 course is free, each of the subsequent four courses cost employers $25, and the grant covers the other $25 of the $50 course fee. 

“The thing that is a truly wonderful about this program is how it was developed. Gulf Coast hospitality industry partners, along with Faulkner State Community College and the State Office of Workforce Development, came together to develop a unique and effective program to satisfy a clear training need for our community,” said Ed Bushaw, Gulf Shores campus director of FCSS. “The state's response to local needs shows that they are committed to making the tourism experience for our guests world class.” 

Five Star Southern Hospitality Program is a partnership between the Office of Workforce Development at Faulkner State Community College, the Alabama Gulf Coast CVB, the Foley CVB, the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce and the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce. 

To become certified, individuals must first complete the Hospitality 101 class, which is free.

Program participants will then take four of the six remaining classes, each of which costs $25. After completing these classes, the student will be awarded a Five Star Southern Hospitality certification. 

The next classes will held on May 11 with Hospitality 101 and Tele-Sales Skills A to Z.

Then on May 12, individuals can attend Internal Customer Service Skills and Coaching for Managers.

All courses will be held at the Gulf Shores campus of Faulkner State Community College and pre-registration must be completed by the Friday prior to the classes.

For more information about the program, visit fivestarsouthernhospitality.com.

To complete the mandatory pre-registration for a course, contact Tracie McGreal at 251-990-4201 or tmcgreal@faulknerstate.edu.