Jamaica’ s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett commends the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) for its 94% success rate of certification in 2022. This was announced during a mid-year performance review session for the Tourism Ministry and its public bodies, held on Friday (August 26) at Sandals Royal Plantation resort in Ocho Rios.
“The performance of our hospitality workers in the JCTI this year is truly remarkable. We are very proud of our hospitality workers who have prioritised certification and have performed above average. It indeed proves that the JCTI continues to be the primary platform to build a quality tourism workforce that can access attractive jobs that offer decent work, social protection, and upward social mobility,” said the Minister.
The announcement was made by Dr. Carey Wallace, Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), who noted that from April to August 2022, 94% of candidates who participated in certification programmes with the TEF’s Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) division were successfully certified.
He added that during the period, 1262 students participated in a number of training programmes and 1195 of them successfully passed their exams with a grade of at least 70%.
The JCTI, which is a division of the TEF, is tasked specifically with facilitating the development of Jamaica’s valuable human capital and supporting innovation for the tourism sector.
“The JCTI will be crucial as we continue to recover from the pandemic’s effects. It contributes to our aim of developing a strong local capacity with an unrelenting dedication to quality by facilitating tourist workforce certification,” said Bartlett.
“Furthermore, as we ‘Build Forward Stronger’ from the pandemic through the implementation of our Blue Ocean Strategy, the focus is on attracting a diverse set of visitors seeking a uniquely Jamaican experience, leveraging local supply and tourism experiences, and creating an even more resilient, safe, and sustainable future.,” he added.
JCTI was founded in 2018 and is made possible by strategic relationships with the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA), Human Employment and Resource Training-National Service Training Agency Trust (HEART-NSTA Trust), National Restaurants Association (NRA) owners of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and the American Culinary Federation (ACF).
It offers a variety of supervisory and middle management certification programmes, including Certified Hospitality Supervisor (CHS), Certified Sous Chef (CSC), Certified Food and Beverage Executive (CFBE), Certified Hospitality Housekeeping Executive (CHHE) and Certified Hospitality Trainer (CHT)
The JCTI also delivers the Hospitality and Tourism Management programme, an initiative for high schools in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Youth. Graduates of this programme are prepared to work in entry-level positions in industry and commerce.
During the retreat, it was revealed that the third cohort of the HTM programme will include 350 high schools from schools across the island.
