Graduates also receive American Culinary Federation certification

Just over 1,700 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 last week. The graduates were accorded accreditation as hospitality supervisors and certification in hotel industry analytics, delivered through the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute and Smith Travel Research, which is the global source for benchmarking and forecasting data in the sector.

They also received the American Culinary Federation (ACF) certification. Speaking virtually during the ceremony, Tourism Minister 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. The JCTI, which is a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), an agency of the Ministry of Tourism, is tasked with facilitating the development of Jamaica’s valuable human capital and supports innovation within the tourism sector.

Aligning tourism educational programmes

Bartlett disclosed that efforts are now under way to align tourism educational programmes in Jamaica. He further disclosed that discussions were under way with the Montego Bay Community College, University of Technology and Heart College of Hospitality Services to align their programmes with the ACF.

The tourism minister explained: “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 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,” Bartlett stated, noting 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.

The minister spoke about the establishment of a data base of certified persons launched by the ministry and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) last year. This dataset allows certified persons to upload their resumés and certificates and enables employers to post job openings and receive applications.

Graduates urged to take advantage of opportunities

Jennifer Griffith, permanent secretary in the tourism ministry, who also spoke at the graduation, 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 Airbnb, the impact of globalisation and other dynamic trends have changed the face of the industry,” she emphasised.

In the meantime, Dr Carey Wallace, executive director of the TEF, 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.