The Montego Bay Convention Centre, under its ‘Adopt a School Partnership’ initiative, has sought to improve and provide crucial work experience and opportunities for students of Spot Valley High School in St James.

Under the initiative, the centre has provided work experience and training to the school in food and beverage preparations and operations, engineering, security, accounts, and sales and marketing.

The school was adopted in 2013, and since then students have been receiving invaluable experience working at the centre, especially during major events such as the Jamaica Diaspora Conference and Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX).

A major component of the training programme involves students benefitting from the tutelage of the Montego Bay Convention Centre’s executive chef Randie Anderson.

This involvement has lead to Nicholas Stewart, a student of Spot Valley High walking away with the Junior Apprentice Chef of the Year award at the Taste of Jamaica culinary competition in 2013.

He was later awarded a scholarship to attend the Western Hospitality Institute in Montego Bay. Stewart has subsequently competed in the Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition in Miami since his victory in Jamaica.