Shortage of qualified persons in tourism industry, bemoans hotelier
Published:Thursday | October 17, 2019 | 12:00 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
Managing Director of Sunset at the Palms, Ian Kerr, is lamenting the fact that Jamaica continues to grapple with the unavailability of qualified and certified staff to undertake senior positions within the tourism industry.
Speaking at the hotel’s 15th anniversary dinner and awards ceremony on Sunday, Kerr said there was dire need for state entities to undertake the necessary interventions to address the issue lest the industry loses its reputation of offering high-quality service.
Appealing to Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, Kerr said it was pivotal to recognise the seriousness of the problems in recruiting competent, dedicated managers and team members at all levels of the hospitality industry.
“We, together with the JHTA (Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association), JTB (Jamaica Tourist Board), need to do all that’s necessary to ensure that we are recruiting world-class professionals for the industry because if we don’t, Jamaica will fall behind as so many other countries that guests visit and complain about the levels of service,” he added.
In response, Bartlett said measures were already in place to certify staff who already possessed the requisite skills set but were not necessarily formally trained and certified.
Bartlett said that as a consequence, nearly 640 workers have been trained to assume senior posts across the industry through the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation in collaboration with partners such as the American Culinary Federation over a two-year period.
He said another 450 persons are set to join the ranks of the certified next Wednesday following their graduation at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.
The minister also highlighted the imminent establishment of the University of the West Indies graduate programme that will offer master’s degrees and PhDs in tourism next year.