At the rate Sandals Resorts International (SRI) is going, the time could well come when all of its top managers can call Sandals Corporate University (SCU) their tourism alma mater, as training for resort leadership begins to rise to fever pitch.

Last week, 22 Sandals managers, now poised to change the game as advanced and innovative leaders, SRI says, became the first of an anticipated 500 team members to graduate from an immersive training initiative, earning them highly accredited diplomas in hospitality leadership.

The programme is fully funded by the SCU and is offered in partnership with the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism, Florida International University (FIU) and Accelerating Leaders, an institution specialising in executive education programmes for successful service management.

Students were recruited from the company’s corporate office as well as resorts across Jamaica, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Curacao.

The second group of managers from Sandals resorts across the Eastern Caribbean are currently completing the programme and will graduate in April 2024. The SCU anticipates that by the end of 2024, another five cohorts will earn their diplomas.

“Over these last several months, I know you’ve all had to go to work every day in your various operations, as well as attend classes, study and complete many assignments,” said a beaming chairman of the SCU Advisory Board Wayne Cummings.

“I commend you all for sticking together and finishing strong. The high standard that has been set for the other cohorts to come has truly been a marvel to behold,” he told the graduates, family members and representatives of the SCU Advisory Board, Sandals and Beaches executives, FIU and Accelerating Leaders, at a ceremony at the Sandals Ochi Resorts, St Ann.

The graduates were also applauded by the two main developers of the leadership programme, Dr Christopher Muller, founder of Accelerating Leaders, and Dr Michael Cheng, dean of the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism, FIU.

In a speech, his voice breaking with emotion, Dr Muller said: “I want to thank you for the honour of serving these past few months. Your enthusiasm in each lesson, your riveting questions and thirst for learning was a refreshing experience for me.”

Dr Cheng praised the graduates for surpassing the expectations of the programme and reminded them that the aim was not just to impart knowledge but to foster “a culture of continuous growth, innovation and leadership excellence”.

Robed as a chancellor would in an academic setting, and clearly unable to mask his pride, Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart – himself an FIU alum – declared the occasion “a dream come true to be here today with Dean Cheng and his team holding hands with me and my team in recognition of a vision that began right here in 2009 at this resort”.

“For me, I look in this room and I see so many of you I have interacted with over the years and we’ve experienced some great things together. The fact that you’re here in this moment is an indication of your commitment to the future and that’s exactly what I’m looking for. You have committed to yourselves, your countries, to this region, to this organisation but most importantly, you have committed to the future,” Stewart said.

The six-month programme, custom-designed for Sandals, incorporated a hybrid model with both face-to-face modules as well as online classes comprising of 16 interactive courses leveraging workshops, discussion groups, case studies and industry best-practices, SCU noted.

“Entry and mid-level managers are challenged to apply new knowledge, gain advanced skills and create positive behaviours as they prepare for increasing leadership responsibility. These managers are pinpointed to help champion the Sandals 2.0 vision of expansion and continuous achievement of excellence in the industry.”

Claiming the last word, SRI’s IT applications project manager, valedictorian and proud member of the inaugural graduating class, Mellissa Brown-Fletcher, had the ceremony spellbound, as she encapsulated the experience:

“We came in as managers and were developed into leaders. I know our families, operations and communities will be affected by who we will become and that ripple effect is going to be infectious throughout the countries we operate in.”