Hanover prepared for hospitality jobs - Illiteracy concerns shunned, citizens are job-ready
Published:Saturday | July 2, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Barrington Flemming, Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:Stakeholders in Hanover have rejected concerns that the parish is not adequately prepared for the job opportunities that will be created by the proposed US$500-million expansion of the Fiesta Hotel, located at Point in the parish.
Hotelier Dimitris Kosvogniannis, general manager of Fiesta (Grand Palladium and the Lady Hamilton hotels), recently announced that more than 1,000 jobs would be created by the proposed expansion.
"We anticipate creating employment for an additional 1,000 staff, while the construction process will engage 2,000 to 3,000 workers," Kosvogniannis told Western Focus.
He said the plans have already been submitted to the Hanover Parish Council for approval for Fiesta's luxury brand, The Royal Suites, whose amenities include butler service, swim-up pool, and large living quarters.
Due to Hanover's high illiteracy rate, concerns are being raised in some quarters that recruiters might be forced to turn the spotlight on neighbouring parishes to fill the vacancies, which will be created by the proposed development.
But mayor of Lucea, Lloyd Hill, believes that while the parish was battling illiteracy, there has been a concerted effort over the years to have people prepared to assume positions whenever they are created.
"There are sufficient trained and certified personnel in the parish to respond to the needs as they arise. Some were trained and certified but did not gain access to jobs; but we do have large numbers of trained skilled people who can fill the positions," he said.
enough certified workers
President of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce, Alwyn Haynes, is satisfied that there will be an adequate number of certified workers to meet the needs for the construction phase of the project.
"Should the Fiesta Group ask that all workers be certified, then that could possibly pose a problem," said Haynes. "It might not be possible to have them all certified in time to take up these jobs."
He was, however, optimistic that the parish would have sufficient personnel to take up the permanent job opportunities.
Manager of the Sandy Bay-based Kenilworth HEART Academy, Dewayne Pryce, echoed similar sentiments, noting that he is confident that there are sufficient number of trained and certified persons to assume the positions that will be created by the proposed development.
"The academy trains over 1,000 individuals annually in a number of skill areas to include business management and services, all areas of hospitality skills and tourism, childcare, and information technology. Our programmes are directly aligned with the labour demands of the Grand Palladium (Fiesta)," Pryce said.
"Through our career development services programme, we will be able to fulfil the demands, and our placement officers stand ready and willing to match our graduates to the job needs there, or anywhere else," added Pryce.
Pryce also indicated that despite the perception that people are not taking up its programmes, the HEART Trust/NTA has had the opportunity to expand its reach to more people for training with offsite locations and workforce solutions among other modalities.
"With the introduction of the senior school as one component of the Career Advancement Programme, a greater number of individuals are able to access our training programmes," he stated. "All these interventions are in a bid to ensure the continued upward mobility, marketability and employability of all working age Jamaicans within the parish and, by extension, across Jamaica."