JHTA web site gives workers options

ABOUT 2,000 workers in the tourism industry have registered with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association's (JHTA) human resource department, under its National Tourism Human Resources Development project started in March.

The project which targets 30,000 tourism workers, aims to develop and maintain a sustainable HRD management information system for the industry as well as to facilitate a sustainable labour market exchange system for hospitality workers, employers and trainers.

Project director, J. Anthony Hall of the JHTA said although the number of workers registered to date is way below the targeted figure, he was encouraged through its web site, stand to gain benefits. A registered member become part of a large data base which is searched daily by potential employers who are by the response. He said tourism workers who register with the JHTA HRD unit able to access profiles on workers to determine their suitability.

"We are on the Internet so the possibility of (workers) gaining overseas employment is not remote at all," he said when asked if employers overseas were targeting Jamaican workers. But, he said "we (the JHTA) have to also protect our members who are the hoteliers". Hence if a particular hotel is named, the names of the workers are not displayed on the web site.

Mr Hall said the labour market information being garnered now, was very important for the Association as in a while it will be in a position to provide information like how many waiters/waitresses are employed in a resort.

Registered members can also apply on-line to educational and training institutions. The unit, through its web site, offers tourism employers the opportunity to post their employee vacancies as well as community events, training opportunities and industry news, free of cost, for now.

Scheduled to last three years, the JHTA National HRMIS project is funded by a grant from the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank in association with HEART/NTA, the Work Force Development Consortium and the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

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