TWENTY-FIVE workers in the local tourism sector have received professional certification under the Caribbean Hotel Association’s newly established CARIBCERT Programme.

CARIBCERT is a skill and knowledge development programme. It offers professional recognition and offers certification in 45 tourism occupation/skill areas for the region’s tourism professionals. The programme spans key hospitality positions at the line, supervisory and managerial levels.

According to J Anthony Hall, coordinator for the Jamaican leg of the programme, who was speaking at the presentation function at Sandals Dunn’s River on Wednesday, CARIBCERT is not a training programme, neither does it require schooling outside the workplace. However, the programme challenges the candidates to show that they have mastered the skills of their trade, he said.

Hall said to earn certification, tourism professionals must complete the CARIBCERT performance checklist for the occupation in which certification is being sought. The standards are printed in a performance checklist format, which allows an individual to practise the tasks and develop the skills on the job, under supervision.

Once the checklist is finished, the candidate is ready to write the CARIBCERT exam. The examination is written by the candidate at a convenient site under the guidance of an exam supervisor. For supervisors and managers, there is an additional study guide.

After the process is completed, the candidate receives a certificate and pin signifying that he or she is an industry professional.

Hall described the awardees — drawn from Beaches Grande Sport, Ritz Carlton and Coyaba Beach Resort — as pioneers of the programme, which is seeking to certify 1,500 workers across the Caribbean. The programme is free of cost up to February 2004, when the first phase ends. After that, the cost will be US$50 for line staff, US$100 for supervisors and US$200 for managers.

Tourism Minister Aloun N’dombet Assamba was among those who hailed the programme and the potential it has for the further development of the industry.

“A programme like CARIBCERT — which does not require conventional schooling outside the classroom, but on the job — is ideal for Jamaica,” Assamba said.

“Clearly, the design of the programme benefited from the knowledge of the team which developed it,” she added, in commending the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).

Assamba also urged the awardees to continue furthering their education in their chosen field.

“This probably is the first step. One of the things I’ve discovered is that continuing education is very important and it is our responsibility as professionals to make sure that we keep ourselves at the cutting edge of the knowledge as it relates to the profession,” she said.

Godfrey Dyer, JHTA president, welcomed the programme and said there were several professionals in the hotel industry who are not recognised for want of proper certification.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing, especially as it can be used in the Caribbean,” Dyer commented. “CARIBCERT, for us (JHTA), represents an opportunity for every professional in the hospitality and tourism industry to achieve their full potential. It will build esteem, lift the standard of operations at every level and give us the resources to build the best possible service in any tourism destination anywhere in the world,” he said.

Geraldine Wright, training manager at Beaches Grande Sport, was one of eight persons on hand to receive certificates and pins. She told the Observer the certification provides another avenue that team members can use for self development.

“It is a source of motivation for them as many of them have been frustrated because they come into the industry, work hard and they don’t get the recognition for the years of service and experience they gain,” she said.