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| Minister of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration Hon Malcolm Guishard |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS ( October 24, 2005) -- Minister of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon Malcolm Guishard, has announced that Nevisians will be afforded the opportunity to prepare for jobs in the hospitality sector and for job opportunities that will come with the construction five star resort on Pinneys Estate, through the establishment of a hospitality training school here.
The Minister made the announcement recently, when he addressed his constituents at Bath Village during a Town Hall meeting at the Albertha Payne Community Centre. He said that the NIA had realised that Nevisians had not been equipped to take top jobs at Four Seasons Resort when it commenced operations in Nevis and as such the decision was taken to prepare Nevisian youths for jobs in the hotel sector.
We want to move ahead, we want to make that jump and we are now looking at the possibility of very early next year of starting a hospitality training school on Nevis. Our young and not so young people must take advantage of this and when they go to apply to this new resort or any other hotel on Nevis or elsewhere, they should be able to say we are certified and we can command a job, Mr. Guishard said.
According to the Minister, his Administration has already seen demonstrations with a number of colleges in the United States who offer hospitality training one of which had already been identified for the programme because of the time factor. He explained that the community based computer labs would be also used in the programme.
The Minister addressed critics who had said publicly that the Administration wanted young Nevisians to remain waitresses and servants in the hotel sector.
They have written in the press that the Administration wants to keep our young people as servants and maids but if a hotel opens its doors on Nevis we must have maids and we must have waitresses but we don't expect those people who take on those jobs to stay there we expect them to learn. I have seen persons enter Four Seasons as maids and they have elevated themselves and now hold good positions and they now make good money.
We are looking out for what is best for our people. Our people are industrious, our people are bright and our people always crave to learn. When Four Seasons opened its doors we had over 100 plus foreigners coming here to train our people but very shortly after Four Seasons opened its doors it was awarded the five diamond award by the American Triple A Association and the five diamond award is for service. It is because of our young people who went to that hotel and took on the responsibility to make the hotel what it is today. Mr. Guishard said.
The Tourism Minister said that his Administration had succeeded over the years in making Nevis a premier destination in the Caribbean and they had taken the decision to go to the very high end of the industry instead of moving into mass tourism and as such, the island is now known throughout the world.
