Students Benefit From Fairs Hosted By TPDCo

Hundreds of students from various secondary and tertiary institutions across the island are now more aware of the many career opportunities that are available to them within the tourism industry.

This has been made possible through the recent staging of two virtual Tourism Youth Expo and Career Fairs hosted by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).

The events featured experienced tourism professionals from areas of attractions, accommodation, cruise tourism, tourism marketing, mixology/bartending and tourism organisations in the public sector and major events, among others.

Cherese Gordon, a final-year tourism management student at the University of Technology (UTech) who participated in both fairs, tells JIS News that it was her first time being a part of an event of this nature.

“Based on the fact that I am very passionate and interested in this field, it caused me to attend both. Overall, the experience was good and the information was very useful,” says Ms. Gordon.

She further shares that her interest lies in the events sector, and as such, the presentation that stood out to her the most was done in the second staging of the event by Johnny Gourzong, former Executive Director of Summerfest Productions, past producers of Reggae Sumfest.

His presentation focused on career opportunities within the events industry, specifically an event such as Reggae Sumfest, which has helped to promote Destination Jamaica.

In his presentation, he points out that producing an event at the level of Reggae Sumfest requires a wide range of expertise to properly plan and execute.

“On-the-job training is perhaps the most important tool one can utilise towards a career in the events industry. For those interested in pursuing a career in events, you should seek to get in on the ground level with an event like Reggae Sumfest,” he suggests.

Meanwhile, Rojane Walker, a fifth-form student at Mount Alvernia High School, in Montego Bay, says she was happy to be among the group that participated in the second Fair.

For her, the Expo and Career Fair not only exposed her to the different careers in tourism but armed her with information that will prove beneficial as she moves on to pursue her tertiary education.

Ms. Walker says she is unaware of the specific area in which she wants her studies to focus; however, she knows it is something within tourism.

Neickeisha Barrett, teacher at Holy Childhood High School in Kingston, commends the TPDCo for hosting the fairs, despite not being able to do so at a physical location as is normally the case.

Ms. Barrett, who has taken her students to previous fairs, says her latest batch of students were very excited to have participated in this year’s fairs.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity for them to learn more about opportunities that they can consider when they leave high school. That was my hope, and when I asked their opinions at the end… they said they really enjoyed going and they received a lot of information,” she added.

She points out that as a social studies teacher, she wants her students “to realise that career opportunities are available here in Jamaica that are not only beneficial in the sense that they can earn more than a minimum, but are actually fun”.

“I wanted them to have that option open, where they can branch out into tourism,” Ms. Barrett notes.

In his remarks at the first edition of the event, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, commended TPDCo for staging the expo despite the challenges caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

“I applaud TPDCo for their determination to mold our young minds through this important activity. These times have allowed us to put on our creative hats to ensure that those who wish to have a tourism-focused career can proceed in bigger and better ways,” Mr. Bartlett said.

He said it is important to provide the students with the necessary information and skills, as they will one day become a part of the tourism sector, which employs close to 170,000 persons in various areas and generates more than 200,000 indirect jobs

As a government agency, the TPDCo is mandated to facilitate the maintenance, development and enhancement of the tourism product.