KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and the University of Technology (UTech) Jamaica have signed an agreement for business service intermediary support to the TEF’s Tourism Innovation Incubator.

This incubator forms part of the policy framework Tourism 3.0, which is a fundamental reimagining of how the industry creates wealth for Jamaican people. It is driven by a bold ‘local first’ mandate that puts Jamaicans at the centre of the industry’s future.

The aim of the contract is to enroll more individuals for training in various aspects of the tourism industry and for entrepreneurs to create more wealth for themselves and the nation.

The signing took place on Tuesday at UTech in Kingston, with signatories being Executive Director, TEF, Dr Carey Wallace and Vice President and Provost, UTech, Professor Shermaine Barrett.

Wallace said this represents the third partnership agreement being signed since the start of the year, noting that it is the brainchild of Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett and one that will help boost training for individuals to work primarily in the tourism sector and promote the beauty of Jamaica to tourists.

“We believe that Jamaica’s development hinges on people. When we look at the resources that we are blessed with, and tourism, we market them and boast about them so much, but it’s not just okay, good or above average. What we have is extraordinary on the global scale,” Wallace said.

He noted that UTech is an established institution that is about transforming people, upskilling people and providing pathways to rise, thus the reason for the partnership.

He argued that for Jamaica to get to First-World status, there has to be a concentrated rise and upskilling of Jamaican people for them to  be contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Jamaica with significant numbers.

“We commend what institutions like UTech are doing, because they’re at the forefront of that upskilling, that transformation,” he said.

Through the partnership, UTech will offer coaching, web design, marketing research and coaching business development support.

For her part, Barrett said this partnership will bring out the greatness in people participating, especially in the fields of business, entrepreneurship, innovation, product development and technology.

“You have tapped into something that has been making its mark in the country…which again speaks to how we have been contributing to building the business and the economy within the country,” Professor Barrett said.

“You are in good hands, and your students who will pass through this programme are in good hands, and you can be confident about that, because we have history. And, it’s not just an empty history; it’s history that is built on contributing to the growth and development of our country,” she said.

— JIS