SANDALS Corporate University (SCU) and The University of the West Indies (UWI) Global Campus have signed a non-disclosure agreement which is expected to morph into a memorandum of understanding to facilitate the sharing of best practices and skill sets in the the usage of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI).

The agreement comes on the cusp of the new partnership between SCU and EON Reality Incorporated to provide cutting-edge spatial AI technology to professionals across Sandals Resorts.

E-learning and technology manager at Sandals Corporate University (SCU) Andre Campbell told the Jamaica Observer that the partnership will be synergistic as UWI Global started using the EON Reality platform way before SCU and that each group stands to benefit from the other.

“We will be tapping into their resources and they will be tapping into our resources as well,” he said, while adding that SCU plans to also bring the spatial AI technology into high schools supported by the Sandals Foundation.

Further, Campbell, who is the project lead for the SCU/EON Reality partnership, said the aim is to take training for team members at all Sandals resorts in the Caribbean to a next dimension.

“We want to make it a little bit more immersive and also more engaging for team members. This is not just chalk and talk anymore. You want them to be in their specific environments, where they can grasp the concept better and be a bit more agile in how they learn. Take for example someone in the kitchen. We will use the system to compliment what is there in theory. So you may have the theory on how to cook a steak, but you can use the technology to practise practically how to do that steak through the virtual kitchen,” he said.

The advanced AI-based features of EON Reality’s suite of offerings will enable SCU to streamline the creation of customised training content, and the EON AI assistant will offer support, facilitating the creation, distribution, and consumption of information.

Corporate manager food and beverage standards at SRI, Paul Bauer, further told the Observer that at first it was intimidating being exposed to the programme, but over time his simulation became easy.

“I’m on the fifth floor of life, so for people my age it’s usually a little trepidatious going in, but as we started to learn I realised how easy it is to build these experiences and how easier it is to use them, and the ideas just keep coming. One idea builds on the next and on the next. I can essentially take all my standard operating procedures right now that we have in food and beverage and put them into this format. I think it’s great now because one of the things we have been working on is how to approach a new generation coming up and this is aimed directly at Gen Z and those that come beyond for learning. Engaging them at this level with something they are used to and familiar with and using all of the time just makes learning and developing people so much better for us,” he said.

He added that his favourite aspect of EON is the ability to lay down a geo anchor, making the content permanently fixed and accessible, and also incorporating guests in the virtual experiences.

“Imagine if you gave a 360 view at Sandal Dunn’s River, where you have four restaurants right in a row. You could aim your camera or phone at the door of the restaurant, pull up all of the information — hours of operation, days it is closed, menus, wine lists, cocktail lists, history of restaurant. Same thing if they walk into our Balloon Coffee Shop, which is very Blue Mountain-focused, and we have what we call our Bean to Cup Experience. We can take guests through the entire process from growing a seedling for coffee plants, through harvesting, then through roasting, processing, then finally making you an espresso. We can also do that for our Dunn’s Rum Club with the rum process,” he said.

So far, 60 instructors have been trained by the EON team and certified as EON educators/coaches within Sandals. Another 40 individuals are in training and expected to be certified before year end. In addition, 6,000 licences will be distributed across the group to include other training partners in expanding the use of the platform by 2024.