IN keeping with its commitment to provide employment and training opportunities for people in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines following the La Soufriere volcanic eruption, Sandals Resorts welcomed the first batch of recruits on August 27th.
Tourism Minister Carlos James was on hand at the Argyle International Airport to see off the new Sandals team members, who left on a private chartered flight. Overall some 500 people will benefit from this initiative and over the next few weeks several more recruits will be assigned to various Sandals Resorts throughout the region. Minister James commended Sandals Resorts for keeping its promise to the people of the SVG, and for continuing to be a regional leader in terms of human resource development and investment.
Following the displacement brought about by both the pandemic and the volcano, Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart decided to fast-track the recruitment and training drive for the Eastern Caribbean Island ahead of plans by the company to build a Beaches Resort at Buccament Bay.
According to the Sandals Executive Chairman, “This is just the start of things to come, and the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines can expect further employment opportunities throughout the construction phase and beyond. However employment is only one aspect of the massive economic footprint the Beaches brand will bring to island. The economic benefits will be significant – from increased airlift benefitting all surrounding islands to direct and indirect linkages to critical sectors such as transportation, tours and excursions, agriculture and manufacturing.”
Minister James said he was also looking forward to having the recruits return so that they could help in the preparation of other Vincentians for employment at the new Beaches resort. “I’m excited to see off this first batch of young, bright and talented Vincentians who will benefit from the Sandals training. This is a boost to our tourism sector in terms of having persons exposed to this level of training, and who will potentially return to Saint Vincent and bring so much value-added experiences to aid in the building of our human resource capacity. This is a positive step for us in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and a very great move by Sandals.”
The recruitment drive is in line with Sandals’ continued commitment to provide Caribbean nationals with training and employment opportunities across the region under its Team Member Exchange Programme. As part of its expansion drive which includes new hotels not only in Saint Vincent but also in Curacao and Jamaica, the World’s Leading All Inclusive Company intends to increase its workforce by 5,000 persons over the next five years.