Tourism Minister Says Quality Workforce Significant for Sector

• The competitiveness of a tourism destination requires an effective human capital management plan, where the workforce becomes the primary focus as stated by Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett. 
• Against this background, the Tourism Ministry has established the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) as the primary platform to build a quality tourism workforce that can access attractive jobs that offer decent work, social protection, and upward social mobility. 
• This process starts from secondary schools where the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) is collaborating with the Ministry of Education and Youth on a training and certification programme for tertiary and secondary-school students as part of Government’s Human Capital Development strategy to ensure the sustainable development of tourism 
• The JCTI also focuses on offering middle management certification programmes covering Certified Food and Beverage Executive (CFBE), Certified Hospitality Housekeeping Executive (CHHE), Certified Hospitality Trainer (CHT), and Certified Hotel Concierge (CHC). 
• These initiatives under the JCTI will aim to increase service quality in the tourism sector which will add to the overall attractiveness of Jamaica’s tourism product.

(Sources: Cointelegraph.com)