By Serena Grant
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – The Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) was conceptualised and established out of the need to pivot the sector from a casual labour industry to one that is more professional, says tourism minister, Edmund Bartlett.
“Casual labour is difficult to classify, it’s difficult to certify, it’s difficult to remunerate and it causes industrial disruptions, as people don’t have a sense of what their true value is in the workplace, and they take what they get. Not all companies are driven by moral values and a deep sense of what ought to be and what ought not to be,” tourism minister Bartlett maintained. “ All companies are driven by what profit dictates, and their role is to minimise cost and maximise profits.”
The tourism minister continued:
“Labour in most instances, is the largest percentage of cost in companies, and tourism is highly labour intensive. Consider 2,000 or 3,000 people working in a single hotel, with 70 or 80 percent being casual labour [and they are] not certified, not classified and not remunerated according to classification.”
Against this background, Bartlett said the JCTI aims to populate the tourism sector with staff that are qualified, certified, classified and can be remunerated accordingly, addressing the second annual JCTI Awards and Recognition Ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James, on December 5.
The JCTI is a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), an agency of the tourism ministry. It is tasked with developing Jamaica’s valuable human capital and supporting innovation in the tourism sector.
Meanwhile, minister of education, skills, youth and information, senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, emphasised that upskilling tourism workers is about maintaining Jamaica’s position in the world as a prime destination.
“As one of the leading tourist destinations in the Caribbean, and I believe the leading [regional] destination, Jamaica attracts millions of visitors annually and provides a wide range of economic benefits, including employment opportunities and hospitality, transportation and entertainment… every single area in our country benefits from tourism,” senator Morris Dixon said.
“The importance of upskilling and re-skilling industry personnel, which she said is being prioritised by the education ministry and government. So this approach in terms of upskilling and re-skilling, is designed to equip individuals with the skills needed to thrive in fast-growing sectors like tourism, reduce the skills gap, and increase economic competitiveness. We can just look at the example of JCTI and understand how we can do it across many other industries,” the education minister stated.
Senator Morris Dixon also emphasised that upskilling helps to foster a culture of lifelong learning, which will only yield positive long-term dividends for Jamaicans.
“Technology is coming to the fore that is changing the whole way we do everything. So yes, you’ve gotten your certificates, but the future will lead you to get additional certificates. That’s why JCTI is so important, because it is nimble, its agile. Over time, as things change, they can also provide more of the training needs that are necessary,” minister Dixon underscored.
Among the awardees during the ceremony were certified lifeguards and DJ Academy graduates, along with JCTI partners who were recognised. The Centre has trained thousands of tourism workers since its inception in 2018.
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