Students get hands-on training at Sandals Ochi

Some 400 students from universities, HEART programmes, and high schools have benefited from hands-on experiences and informative tours at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort since the start of the year.

The latest students to tour the resort, as part of the 'Tourism in School' programme, were from the HEART Trust/NTA Stony Hill campus, housekeeping and food and beverage cohorts.

Kevin Clarke, manager of Sandals Ochi Beach Resorts, welcomed the students to the facility, while expressing the hope that they would find the experience quite meaningful.

"The Tourism in School experience at the resort is designed to give hospitality and high-school students a chance to see our tourism product up front, as many have only done the theory but haven't been to a resort such as Sandals Ochi, and so far, the response has been phenomenal," said Clarke.

STUDENTS CAPTIVATED

He pointed out that many of the students have become so enamoured with what they have seen at the resort to the point where they have expressed an interest on entering the hospitality industry after graduating.

The Stony Hill HEART Academy team, headed by instructor Camille Johnson, visited a number of hotel rooms and received a practical demonstration of bed-making exercises, which will assist in their graded exercise at school where they will be judged based on speed, accuracy, neatness, and course mitring.

Students also got hands-on training, practising techniques alongside the housekeeping talent at the resort.

They also toured the resort's central laundry, getting an inside view of how the massive facility carries out its operations, the machines used, and their efficiency.

"We were very pleased with operations at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort and the experiences received," said Johnson.

"For many of the students, it was their first time touring a resort of this size and prestige, and they really soaked up all the information available," added Johnson.