Yellowknife (May 20/05) - Sometimes it's the subtle things that make for good customer service -- like topping up water glasses for restaurant goers without being asked -- that make a big difference.

Other times, it's knowing how to recognize unsafe situations in the workplace and having the gumption to ask for more training before blindly operating a meat slicer on your first day.

When graduates of the Ready to Work: Tourism Careers for You course walk out the door, their skills run the gamut from first aid to Japanese service training.

Eighteen-year-old Aaron Morrison has seen the difference the training from the federal and GNWT funded course has had in his job at L'Heritage restaurant.

Acknowledging customers and making sure they have a good dining experience is important, he says. The course teaches that customers who have been treated badly are likely to tell eight out of 20 people about the experience. "You don't want that happening, so you have to exceed their expectations," says the Sir John Franklin student.

With a career in hotels and tourism in the future, Morrison figures the seven certificates he received at the ceremony will help him on his way.

The 18 students committed 100 hours to the course, learning everything from food safety to the Northern Most Host customer service training.

Trainer Wenda Dahl knows the training makes a difference because of feedback from employers on her grads. "I've heard from managers who say they've noticed little differences that make a big difference," she says.

"They (employers) want people who are going to show some interest in what they're doing. They want someone who is reliable," says Dahl.

With a booming economy that faces a high level of workers who don't always show up for the job on time, that's important," she says.

"In the territory, that's something we really need to ingrain in people."

The 2005 graduates received their certificates during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly May 4 in front of friends and family.