Colombia’s capital Bogota will train over 100 shoe-shiners as tour guides of the city.
The Institute for Social Economy (IPES) will begin by training 40 shoe-shiners in the Bogota tourism industry.
The group will receive “theoretical and practical workshops on topics of social tourism, district development planning, history of the places, cultural and architectural heritage, hotel information and guides to restaurants,” according to newspaper El Espectador.
The certification will allegedly last 40 hours and each shoe-shiner will be assigned a location as well as be given a uniform and shoe-shining chair.
The goal is that these workers will be used by citizens and travelers by providing needed information and gaining a useful skill they can benefit from.