Twenty young people desiring to pursue careers in the hospitality industry have
successfully completed a training programme organized through the Sandals
Hospitality Training Programme.
The young people were commended for their dedication and hard work in
completing the 10-week programme at a graduation ceremony held on Friday at
Sandals Grande Antigua Resort.
Sandals Training Manager, Carlene Spencer, said as the company continues to
grow and provide training and development opportunities, she is encouraging the
island’s best and brightest young people to join the upcoming cycles of the resort’s
premier Hospitality Training Program (HTP).
“The training program, currently in its fifteenth year, has allowed hundreds of
locals to sharpen their skills in the tourism industry, through in-depth training at
the region’s largest hotel chain.
“This year alone, we have seen just over 200 applications, as more and more young
people realize the importance of sharpening their skills for the world of hospitality.
Sandals continues to make strides in developing quality industry professionals,”
she added.
General Manager, Michael Cornall described the training programme as Sandal’s
contribution to the overall hospitality, as the graduates can move on to employment
elsewhere in the industry.
“Our primary objective is to expose young men and women to the hospitality
industry where these young people enter the programme and we train them in all
aspects of hospitality. Some trainees may go into the financial component or other
areas such as retail, marketing, food, and beverage, or rooms division. This is in
preparation for the talent of the future. Again, our primary objective is to recruit
the individuals at the end of each programme, although we may not always do so
because there may not be vacancies at the time. However, we have brought many
graduates of the programme back when vacancies do arise,” he noted.
Cornall stated that the hospitality industry has a challenge of attracting talent from
young people internationally. Not only is this programme tailor-made to give
young people a taste of the hospitality industry, but it will help to breathe some
excitement into the industry given the level of excitement emanating from the
young people.
