MONTEGO BAY, St James — Sandals Resorts in this region has restarted its drive to introduce young Jamaican students to potential careers in the island’s growing hospitality industry.

Over the past few days some 60 students from Jose Marti Technical High School’s Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) cohort, and Vere Technical High School’s food and nutrition class had the benefit of experiencing the tourism product first-hand during special seminars and tours conducted by Sandals Montego Bay.

The innovative and interactive tours — which featured sessions with the resort’s executive chef, general manager, and learning and development manager — is part of the innovative Sandals Tourism in Schools Programme aimed at giving hospitality students a chance to be hands-on as well as interact with experts in various departments on the resort.

Sandals Montego Bay General Manager Christopher Elliott, in welcoming the students to his resort, said he was excited to reintroduce the programme and hoped the students would find the experience quite meaningful. He also gave a general overview of the resort’s operations and noted that the hospitality industry was in need of bright young minds such as themselves.

“The Tourism in Schools experience at the resort is designed to give hospitality and high school students a chance to see our tourism product up front. Many have only done the theory but haven’t been to resorts such as those we have in the Montego Bay region — and so far the response has been phenomenal,” said Sandals’ Regional Public Relations Manager Ian Spencer, who conducted the tours at the resorts.

Spencer pointed out that many of the students had become so enamoured with what they had seen at the resorts that they have expressed an interest in entering the hospitality industry after graduating.

The students beamed with excitement as they toured the various food and beverage outlets as well as the other areas, and were addressed by Sandals Montego Bay Executive Chef Salvatore Cussimano and Executive Sous Chef Nicholas Bell.

The executive chef pointed out the operations of the kitchen and stressed the need for students to not just have the practical skills, but also the right attitude in order to gain meaningful employment as chefs within the industry.

Students were also encouraged to have a passion for the profession as long hours and sacrifice are required in order to rise to the top. A lively question-and-answer session ensued following the lectures.

Chef Bell recounted his professional journey in the industry, which started from humble beginnings, to the students while stressing the need for constant education if the pupils are to remain on the cutting edge of industry practices.

The students also received a tutorial in the Sandals customer service experience from Learning and Development Manager Shanique Cunningham.

Sheldon Haye, hospitality skills instructor and assessor at Jose Marti, said he jumped at the opportunity to have his grade 13 CAPE tourism students visit the resort so as to sensitise them on the main operations and key departments of the hotel as well as observe first-hand guest interactions and service delivery as part of the tourism product. This, he said, will also help to enhance their learning in preparation for their school-based assessment projects.

“We are so excited to be a part of this programme. We were very pleased with the operations at Sandals Montego Bay and the experiences received,” said Vere Technical student Adrian Weir. “We now have a better appreciation of what happens behind the scenes in a top-class hotel and we can’t wait to build on what we have learnt here.”