Over 1,700 Additional Hospitality Workers Graduate from Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation

Over 1,700 additional hospitality workers, who underwent training at the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) between April 2021 and August 2022, have graduated.

They received their certificates during a graduation ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on Thursday (November 3).

The graduates were accorded accreditation as hospitality supervisors, and Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA) which was delivered through the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and Smith Travel Research (STR), which is the global source for benchmarking and forecasting data in the sector.

Individuals also received the American Culinary Federation (ACF) certification.

Speaking virtually during the ceremony, Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, congratulated the graduates, noting that certification of the industry’s workers should be celebrated.

He said the graduation was indicative of the JCTI’s successes over the last five years.

Mr. Bartlett advised that discussions were underway with the Montego Bay Community College (MBCC), University of Technology (UTech), and Heart College of Hospitality Services to align their programmes with the ACF.

“This means that, within a year, students at the institutions will no longer have to sit certification examinations; but will be awarded the certified culinarian or certified pastry culinarian credentials at graduation,” he informed.

The Minister also announced that the JCTI is in the final stages of starting a new one-year programme to expedite the certification of sous chefs in collaboration with HEART/NSTA Trust and the ACF.

“So, within a year, candidates will develop the skills [needed] and gain much needed international experience,” he stated.

Mr. Bartlett noted that as the tourism sector emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the JCTI has expanded certification to incorporate areas in the sector that have experienced shortage of personnel.

“Two groups – chefs and food and beverage managers – were in high demand; that, of course, led to the JCTI undertaking a number of initiatives during the past year,” he pointed out.

The Minister said one of these initiatives is the establishment of a data base of certified persons launched by the Ministry and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) last year.

It allows certified persons to upload their resumés and certificates and enables employers to post job openings and receive applications.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Jennifer Griffith, encouraged the graduates to take advantage of the opportunities they have been presented.

“The opportunities lie before you and they are vast, they are rich and they are diverse. The travel and tourism industry has evolved exponentially over the last decade. The travellers desire new experiences. Digitisation, technological development , the rise of Air BnB, the impact of globalisation, and other dynamic trends have changed the face of the industry,” she emphasised.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has hastened many of the changes that we have seen in the industry. The transformation taking place in tourism is creating new business models, skillsets and career opportunities. I am pleased to note that the JCTI has responded fervently to these new human capital challenges and demands and has been honing their skills to suitably provide a certified work force to supply the tourism industry,” Ms. Griffith added.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Dr. Carey Wallace, also congratulated the graduates and praised their families for the support they provided.

He pointed out that the graduation served as a demonstration of the impact that the JCTI is having on the sector.

“Since the five years of JCTI, we have trained and certified over 10,000 Jamaicans… and today, 1,787 candidates who will be graduating from the programmes that took place between April 2021 and August 2022,” Dr. Wallace stated.

The JCTI is a division of the TEF, an agency of the Ministry of Tourism.

It is tasked with facilitating the development of Jamaica’s valuable human capital and supports innovation within the tourism sector.