IT'S hard to suppress feelings of envy as we traverse the well-appointed campus of Universidad de las Islas Baleares (University of the Balleric Islands, Mallorca, Spain) and turn into the School of Hospitality.

"It's built like a five-star resort," said the school's proud and affable Jaume Salas. It's no idle boast, for the spacious, well-lit lobby, complete with a reception desk manned by students, could pass muster in any metropolis, and the minimalistic design complements the chic black and white tailored uniforms worn by the students.

A chef demonstrates how to make and present an open-face sandwich.

It's a busy day on campus and the students, like ours at Lillian's (UTech), are preparing the dining rooms. This campus boasts three dining areas in addition to the spacious lobby café. There are tables to be set, napkins that need folding and glasses to be steamed, dried and polished to a brilliant shine. It's all very familiar, but here it's more of-the-moment. The classrooms are spacious and beautifully equipped for food lecture demonstrations (think The Food Network and you'll get the general gist).

"This is a joint venture between the government and the university," said Salas as we moved from room to room, "and the plan is one of improving the human resource component of the industry".

There can be little doubt that the school, built in 1995 in a city that receives up to 10 million visitors annually and with an investment of US$30 million, serves a major purpose.

"And the focus," according to Salas, "is the hospitality sector first and the academics second."

A chef demonstrates how to make and present an open-face sandwich.

Many might find this pronouncement debatable, but students, after four years, are able to comfortably enter the sector as professionals in a competitive environment. It's an area that Salas feels Jamaicans need to pay closer attention to. "It's important to carefully balance the practical and the theory," he explained. There are short certificate courses available, too, on this campus, styled after the world-renowned École hôtelière de Lausanne - which we glean as we push open more doors of this well laid-out school. The kitchens are incredibly spotless and truly state-of-the-art, with students under the watchful eyes of their trainers, able to benefit from hours of hands-on experiences.

At a press conference ahead of lunch, journalists were informed that Jamaica, in partnership with the Spanish Government, would offer, as of 2009, a school modelled off this same School of Hospitality. The student count, we learnt, would be 150 and they will be offered training in a number of skills areas for the industry.

The Spanish Government has already pledged US$1 million and would, according to Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica Jesus Silva, fund the cost of the Spanish consultants from Mallorca who will assist in the design, scholarships for future Jamaican managers as well as teachers to travel to Spain for training at the University of the Balleric Islands, Mallorca, Spain.
The Spanish hoteliers would also be providing assistance. There is much that Jamaica could benefit from, in particular Spanish as a second language.

Chocolate and raspberry sponge served with apricot sorbet.

The Spanish have invested more than US$1 billion, added an additional 10,000 rooms on Jamaica's north coast and are not about to disappear anytime soon.

A peek outside at the school's own vineyard underscores the wealth of experience and competitive edge alluded to by our guide. "Our students focus a lot on marketing, quality control and human resource management. They are equipped to become managers and generally move from middle-level managers to top managers within two years," said Salas.

As lunch is served in the school's gourmet restaurant, a special lunch by the way in our honour, we recognised the invaluable experience this trip has afforded and are eager for our young men and women (in Jamaica) to benefit from this strategic partnership.

But there is a tinge of remorse that our students are not exposed to coffee farming (we still boast the world's best), do not spend weekends exploring our ginger (it's the world's best too) or at Walkerswood where we bottle and export excellent jerk. There is Red Stripe, too, and let us not forget that we boast the world's best hotel brand - that's right Sandals, a world-class brand conceptualised right here on The Rock with some of the world's best managers.

So how about an exchange programme? Or in the true spirit of Caricom a Hospitality School of the Caribbean?

A group of journalists travelled to Spain and spent three days in Palma de Mallorca courtesy of The Spanish Embassy here in Jamaica and The Carolina Foundation.

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