Tourism Human Capital Development Model to be Presented at UNWTO Meeting

Jamaica’s model for human capital development in the tourism sector will be presented at the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Meeting in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on World Tourism Day (September 27).

This was disclosed by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, in a recent interview with JIS News.

Mr. Bartlett informed that several global leaders in the tourism sector will convene in Riyadh to mark this year’s observance of World Tourism Day, where they will participate in discussions focusing on the theme, ‘Tourism and Green Investments’.

He noted that human capital development will be a “strong” part of those discussions.

“We are the first and only country in the region to have an Associate Degree programme for high-school students in Tourism, Hotel Management and Customer Service, and that’s securing the future of the better skills that are needed to take tourism to the next level,” said Minister Bartlett, adding that “with these higher skill levels are remunerations that are going to be higher”.

The Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI), a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), is the entity charged with facilitating the development of human resources to support the sector, through training and certification.

“More than 10,000 persons have been certified in the last five years through the JCTI programmes, and the two-year Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme (HTMP), which is currently under way in 14 high schools islandwide, is enabling students to gain entry-level certification for the tourism industry,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister also informed that discussions on Jamaica’s model is expected to go beyond the meeting in Riyadh, as the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI), the entity that drives the country’s programme, will make a presentation at another meeting in Uzbekistan, using Jamaica as a model.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism is celebrating Tourism Awareness Week (TAW) from September 24 to 30.

Several activities will be undertaken, including daily advertorials highlighting initiatives of the Ministry and its public bodies that exemplify the TAW theme, tree-planting and handover exercises at Tourism Action Clubs (TAC) across Jamaica from September 25 to 29, a special Speaker Series – also at TAC schools, a Youth Forum on September 27, and a Visionary Symposium and workshops.