KINGSTON, Jamaica – Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, has officially launched the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) database, which allows certified tourism workers to better connect with potential employers in the sector.
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (right), speaks with President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Clifton Reader, and Director of the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation, Carol Rose Brown, during the launch ceremony of the JCTI’s Database of Certified Individuals, held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall on Friday, October 21. (Photo by Okoye Henry via JIS)The Database of Certified Individuals, which can be accessed via an online portal, enables persons to upload their credentials, thus creating a repository that hoteliers and other stakeholders can draw on for workers.
In his remarks at the launch ceremony held in the western city of Montego Bay on Friday, Bartlett said the platform aligns with the Government’s goal to further develop and promote Jamaica’s human capital.
“This is critical because you know that from time to time, we hear complaints that Jamaicans are not being considered enough for senior positions within the tourism sector. Now, there can be no arguments if the stackable credentials are there, skillsets and personnel,” he noted.
“When we qualify and certify you, you should have access…(and) you would be employed on the basis of your merits, qualifications and experience.”
The Tourism Minister said that the database will also help to guide policy relating to work permits and more.
He commended the JCTI for establishing the platform and encouraged certified Jamaican job seekers and employers to utilize the facility to ensure greater equity, access and merit in terms of employment in the sector.
“You may be trained overseas or coming back from [overseas institutions]; come and let us register you in the database so that it can be easy for you to have your skills utilized in the tourism industry,” he urged.
JCTI Director, Carol Rose Brown, also invited Jamaicans to register on the platform.
“If you have any kind of certification that is transferable, we are prepared to accommodate you. There is a link as well as a QR code. You can scan it and you will be taken directly to the signup page,” she said.
Rose Brown lauded the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Jamaica Information Service (JIS), HEART/NSTA Trust, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and other partners that helped to bring the platform to fruition.
