Sandals Grande Antigua once again provided an opportunity for team members to explore higher learning and development prospects as part of a career advancement initiative offered by the all-inclusive resort company.
The event – dubbed Edu-Fair (educational fair) – was launched in 2022 by Sandals’ learning and development manager Carlene Spencer to help team members find the appropriate courses and programmes to aid their professional development.
“Team members would always inquire where can they access training or classes in various disciplines, so we felt it was wise to bring the institutions together so team members can have the opportunity to explore the offerings from different educational institutions based on their needs,” Spencer said.
Several tertiary education institutions including the University of the West Indies Five Islands, Antigua and Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute, Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education, and the National Sailing Academy were a part of the one-day event held earlier this month.
Community First Cooperative Credit Union and the Board of Education were also on hand to provide team members with financial support information.
“This is something our team members look forward to and we are excited to collaborate with these important institutions to make this a reality once again. As a company, we are always exploring ways to provide development support and guidance for our team members to realise and achieve their big dreams,” Assistant Training and Development Manager Thalia Thomas said.
Trainees enrolled in the resort’s hospitality training programme also benefited from the experience. Housekeeping trainee Maliko Anthony said the programme had been very impactful, motivating him to continue his educational journey.
Plans are currently underway for the third staging of the event in 2024 with the hopes of seeing more educational and financial institutions coming on board to engage team members.
