KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Tourism has officially launched the Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme (HTMP), which was developed by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) to allow local high school students to gain entry-level qualification in tourism.

The HTMP is the first kind of tourism certification programme for secondary students.

Speaking at the handover of HTMP books to students and teachers at the official launch at Spot Valley High on Monday, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett explained that skills training and certification are important to ensuring the building of human capital in Jamaica, specifically in tourism, which he said “has become even more necessary as the sector experiences exponential growth”.

 “Fifty years ago, 400 thousand people visited Jamaica and spent US$87 million. Last year, 4.3 million people visited the island and spent US$3 billion. In the same period, fifty years ago, we employed 9,000 people and this year, up to August, we employed 120,000 people directly,” the minister outlined.

The Ministry of Tourism provided $100 million to launch the HTMP and the initiative is being done in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

The programme will be delivered in conjunction with colleges participating in the Centre of Occupational Studies (COS) Programme, which facilitates technical training and certification at the college level.