JCTI and HEART/NSTA Trust to Collaborate on Job Readiness Programme for Tourism

Kingston, Jamaica; Friday, June 23, 2023: With the tourism sector grappling with staffing challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) is proposing a strategy for attracting new recruits and preparing them for available jobs in the tourism industry.

In delivering the 2023/24 Sectoral Debate closing presentation on Tuesday (June 20), Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett said, “The tourism sector continues to be hampered by the challenges of finding adequate staffing as a result of thousands of workers opting not to return to the industry post-pandemic. With support from partners, the JCTI is moving to recruit team members from among students graduating from high school in June and July 2023.”

Furthermore, Minister Bartlett revealed that the JCTI, which is a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), has asked the HEART/NSTA Trust to develop a Job Readiness Programme specifically for new entrants to the tourism sector. Successful candidates will receive an NCTVET certificate.

“I think that it is also important to note that for the first time, we have an associate degree in hotel management and customer service for the sixth formers of over 30 high schools in Jamaica. The goal is to attract 2,000 to 3,000 new recruits to the industry,” stressed the tourism minister.