A COMPANY could thrive or fail or operate below capacity depending on the knowledge, skills and competence of its employees.

So the development of its human resources is critical, hence the focus on training programmes and various advancement methods for staff.

With tourism being "everybody's business" the Department of Tourism (DOT) has widened that role to include tourism educational programmes for schools, colleges and agencies.

That responsibility has been entrusted to Patrice Donalds who has been working as the DOT's Coordinator of Tourism Training and Development for the past two and a half years.

"Every day is different, but the opportunity to help young people find something that they are good at or that they really like is the greatest part," she said.

"My main tasks are to coordinate the tourism education programmes of the department with the schools and other educational agencies."

And any other tasks as directed by your supervisor normally comes into play even if you are hired for a specific job, as Ms Donalds found out during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

"My greatest accomplishment came during (Hurricane) Ivan. When all of our roles changed I had a chance to see what other units experienced in doing their jobs," she said.

"We should all take the opportunity to walk in another's shoes. It is so refreshing," she added.

Ms Donalds holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina in the US and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Victoria in Canada.