SANDALS Resorts International (SRI) has accelerated its Succession Planning Strategy with an invitation for budding tourism aspirants to join its Management Trainee Programme.

The intensive two-year training and development programme gives promising young leaders from across the Caribbean, an opportunity to positively impact the growth of the region’s tourism product through hands-on training from one of the world’s most celebrated resorts, Director of Business Processes and Administration for SRI Wayne Cummings said in a press statement.

Cummings noted that, over the years, the company had invested heavily in the development of young Caribbean nationals who are now among the brightest and most innovative managers in the tourism sector across the Caribbean and around the World.

“The Management Trainee Programme has been the centrepiece of SRI’s management Succession Planning Strategy with the “best of the best from within the resorts, along with new hires, continuing to display exceptional growth and capabilities of taking not only Sandals, but the tourism industry as a whole, to the next level. From the 2012 cohort, 21 graduands are now set to take up management and assistant management posts in various departments at Sandals and Beaches resorts across the Caribbean, and we are now seeking the next batch of superstars,” Cummings continued.

Ideal candidates for the programme must have a first degree from a recognizsd institution — preferably, but not limited to tourism and hospitality — or three years experience in the hospitality industry. Additionally, shortlisted candidates must be over 21 years old, possess strong communication and organisational skills and be service-driven with excellent customer service skills.

The official recruitment drive for the Management Trainee Programme is now in progress, with an application deadline set for February 20, 2014. Following the submission of all applications, there will be an intense selection process — including a series of extensive interviews by SRI Group directors and resort general managers — to identify the most suitable candidates for the programme. The final selection of candidates is expected to be in place at assigned resorts by June 2014.

The Management Trainee Programme was originally introduced in the mid 1980s and represents an added feature of Sandals Resorts’ on-going investment in training that includes the Hospitality Training Programme which provides unattached high school graduates with an introduction to various departments in the resorts; as well as continuous on-the-job training sessions, scholarship opportunities, as well as workshops and seminars for team members through the Sandals Corporate University.