by Nancy Gardiner
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 26/97) - Four new occupations have been added to the list of certified workers in the NWT tourism industry.

Now recognized are visitor information counsellor, heritage interpreter, local tour guides and special events co-ordinator.

There's a three-step process after workers have registered for certification, says Melanie Grindlay, co-ordinator of marketing and certification for the NWT Tourism Training Group.

Those interested can approach the NWT Tourism Training Group. They then go through the stages of a performance review and their supervisor notes if they've met the standards.

This is followed by a written test and an on-the-job evaluation.

Certification is recognized nationally.

It means employers know their employees are committed to the business and dedicated to improving themselves, says Grindlay.

It also represents a personal goal fulfilled, since most of these people haven't written a test since high school, she explained.

From start to finish the entire process takes anywhere from eight weeks to a year, depending on the worker's motivation.

The NWT Tourism training group is just starting to offer distance certification in the territory.