Through its commitment to the future of sustainable tourism, the Sandals Corporate University (SCU) has once again partnered with the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI), a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), to host over 100 high school students for a six-week internship programme. 

This falls under the division’s Hotel and Tourism Management (HTM) programme, a two-year certification in tourism available to high school students who are placed at various industry organizations and form part of the Human capital development strategy by the Ministry of Tourism. 

For this year, students from the Newell, Nain, Frome Technical and St. Elizabeth Technical high schools were placed at Sandals South Coast in Westmoreland and students from the St Mary, Iona, Oracabessa, Brown’s Town, Ferncourt and Marcus Garvey Technical high schools were placed at the Sandals Ochi Beach Resort in St Ann. Anchovy, Green Pond and Muschett high school students were assigned to Sandals Montego Bay, the group’s flagship resort in St James. 

Christopher Elliot, general manager of Sandals Montego Bay, commented, “We are happy to partner with the JCTI to nurture students at this stage of their lives, which is crucial to decision-making for the future. We partner with the learning and development team to ensure they truly are immersed in the operations and are being guided by team members and managers in the day-to-day tasks that are required to give our guests the best experiences. We believe that this period serves as a time to expose them to what it takes to work in the industry with the hope that they will be inspired enough to venture into the field.”

Tevin Campbell, learning and development manager at Sandals South Coast, shared that the team has 36 vibrant interns who are immersed in the Sandals experience.

As an educator, Campbell said it was heartening to see the students grasp information quickly and enthusiastically, adding, “They’re not just learning, they’re shaping the future of hospitality and paving their way to becoming the industry’s next leaders.” 

Daniel Hosang, an upper sixth-form student at Ferncourt High School assigned to the Sandals Ochi Beach Resort’s sales department, highlighted his joy at being a part of this programme.

He admitted that he is quite familiar with the industry as his stepfather worked with the Jamaica Union of Travelers Association (JUTA) and he would tell him about the wonderful guests he spoke to and the experiences he had daily.  

“Even though an internship is a prerequisite for graduation, I am thrilled to have been allowed to be at Sandals.  To be given this opportunity to get hands-on experience, shadow senior leaders and learn more about the culture and what the resort has to offer is truly amazing. I am also getting more exposure, meeting guests from across the world and learning about providing service excellence. I chose to study hospitality and tourism because it is our country’s fastest-growing sector. I hope to be a manager in the industry training interns like myself one day,” Hosang expressed.