'Certify tourism managers, too'

Some 12 employees of Sunset at the Palms Resort in Negril, Westmoreland, are creating a significant difference across all areas of their work environment after having recently undergone international training and certification.

The employees were among 150 individuals in the hospitality sector who benefited from the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) training and certification pilot project.

The programme was spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism in conjunction with the Jamaica Tourist Board , as well as several local and international industry agencies. Among them were the Tourism Enhancement Fund; Tourism Product Development Company; and the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, among others.

INDUSTRY-LED COURSE

"We encouraged our staff to participate in the programme as it is the only industry-led course through which employees can be certified locally and internationally," said Shirley Jarrett-Reid, acting hotel manager at Sunset at the Palms Resort.

Jarrett-Reid said the now-certified employees have been overwhelmed, most of whom participated in the Certified Hospitality Supervisor category training.

"We see where the programme has helped so far, primarily due to the certification," she added.

Jarrett-Reid, as well as the resort's operations manager, Romeo McIntyre, share the view that the move by the Government to certify hotel workers locally is a welcome change to the industry.

"We believe the implementation of this project is timely. There are many people in the industry who are equipped with the practical skills, knowledge and years of experience, but lack certification. Certified persons are more likely to be considered during job interviews, hence the importance of having a certified workforce," Jarrett-Reid said.

McIntyre added: "Now that our employees are certified, they are quite motivated and feel that they are recognised."

The former HEART Trust/NTA manager (Runaway Bay) said she recognised years ago how important it was for persons to be trained. It was during her tenure there that she developed the chef training programme, after making representation to the relevant government ministry.

They believe, however, that while it is an insightful move to certify line staff and up to the supervisor level, the industry could see a shift in the chain of command, whereby these newly certified workers could be favoured above persons working in managerial positions for years.

Against this background, they are calling on the Ministry of Tourism and other stakeholders to expand the training/certification programme to include managers at all levels.

Over time, we could see line and supervisory employees more qualified than even senior managers. Years of service and experience have afforded many persons to rise to managerial positions. However, they have not been afforded the external training and certification. We are therefore calling on the tourism ministry to include senior managers in the JCTI project," McIntyre says.