Training for tourism sector now taking place in Hanover communities
MOU between Grand Palladium Group, HEART/NSTA Trust and HMC to bring opportunities to residents
Published:Monday | November 27, 2023 | 12:05 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
RESIDENTS IN Hanover will now access training and certification for work in the tourist industry in the parish, resulting from a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which has been signed between three establishments.
HEART/NSTA Trust, the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) and Grand Palladium Hotels and Resorts signed a MOU to provide training in different aspects of the hotel industry for willing participants at different locations across the parish.
The plan is to have at least one training location in each of the seven municipal corporation divisions within the parish, with the training and certification being done by the HEART/NSTA Trust.
Under the MOU, The Grand Palladium Hotels and Resorts group will retrofit each training location into a practical training area such as for bartending, housekeeping and restaurant service, etc, and also to provide internship for participants in the training programme.
Under the programme, training has started in Sandy Bay, Cauldwell, Riverside and Lucea.
At the signing of the MOU at the Grand Palladium, Lucea, Mitzie Smart, the hotel’s social responsibility manager, pointed out that discussions surrounding the training programme first started nine months ago when their group corporate director of social responsibility, Gloria Juste Picon, first visited Jamaica and wanted to establish a Grand Palladium hotel school in the communities.
She said that HEART/NSTA Trust and the HMC were approached and an agreement was arrived at regarding the format of the training and responsibilities of each organisation.
“We spoke of expectations, what each entity would do. The municipal corporation would be responsible for (mobilising) the people, place and promotion of the sessions, while the mandate of the HEART/NSTA Trust would be the provision of training and training material, as well as making sure that these teachers were paid,” she stated.
She described the eventual signing of the MOU as a proud moment for the planning committee, for the project aimed at serving Hanover’s communities, impacting the lives of its residents and strengthening the tourist industry.
Juste Picon, whose thoughts gave birth to the training programme, flew into Jamaica for the MOU signing and was elated by the final concept.
“We can say that we are already building, we are already making an impact, we are already contributing together as a team,” she noted.
“The Palladium Group has been making an extraordinary effort for a long time to be a socially responsible company, one committed to the environment and the planet, and in a very special way committed to the people around them, and also for all those communities where we are present,” she emphasised.
Deputy managing director of HEART/NSTA Trust, Dr Cheryl McLaughlin, commended the partnership, noting that HEART/NSTA Trust has consistently brokered and maintained strategic partnerships with key players across government, academia and industry.
She opined that collaborations can and will lead to the exchange of ideas, best practices, innovation and improved outcomes.
“Our desire is for this partnership to be a longstanding one, and as such we expect continual collaboration in the areas identified and agreed upon,” she stated.
McLaughlin also said that the success of the partnership will hinge on the continuous monitoring and evaluation that will be undertaken by all parties involved, to ensure that the desired outcomes are derived.
Sheridan Samuels, mayor of Lucea and chairman of the HMC, made reference to the fact that the parish is celebrating its 300 years of existence. He described the training programme as one which is showing inspiration from today’s leaders.
“This is crucial for the growth and success of the tourism industry in Hanover ... which has the potential to become a top vacation destination in the Caribbean,” he stated.
“To capitalise on this potential, it is imperative that we invest in training programmes that will equip locals with the skills and knowledge necessary to deliver exceptional experiences to tourists.”