Jamaica’s tourism industry is set to benefit from the skills of 330 graduates of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme (HTMP). Approximately 177 students graduated under the pilot programme in 2020 and another 153 will complete their studies later this year.
“We are having first time employees, who are teenagers, having a degree coming into the tourism workforce and that immediately sets the stage for employment that is different, and a kind of remuneration level also, that would be different,” said Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett in providing an update on the HTMP.
The programme, which was launched in 2018, facilitates two years of training, free of cost, for students in grades 11, 12 and 13, enabling them to gain entry level certification for the tourism industry.
Students graduate with an Occupational Associate Degree in Customer Service, American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) certification, National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica (NVQ-J) level-four certification, and Customer Service Industry Association recognition.
The minister noted that, so far, some $100 million has been spent under the training and certification programme.
Graduates and current participants in the programme include students from Iona High School in St Mary; Albert Town and Muschett high schools in Trelawny; Anchovy High School in St James; Jose Marti High School in St Catherine; and Marcus Garvey Technical High and Brown’s Town Community College in St Ann.
The HTMP is a first-of-its-kind certification programme developed by the AHLEI and is facilitated by the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI), a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). It is a joint initiative between the Ministries of Tourism, and Education and Youth.
