Students and teachers of eleven primary schools in the Junior Achievement (JA) programme for 2018-2019 convened at Sandals Grenada on July 4th to conclude their Junior Achievement experience with Job Shadowing at the luxury resort. The Sandals Foundation has sponsored this programme for the second year running, and aims to foster understanding of finance, economies, small business and entrepreneurship through interactive learning tools. This culmination of the experience is fitting to inspire the future entrepreneurs who learned about the origins of the Sandals brand; that began with one brave entrepreneur, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart back in 1981 in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
With tourism being the region’s most bourgeoning industry this practical exposure is extremely valuable as some of these children are very likely to be part of this industry in the future. They were exposed to various aspects of resort operations: Entertainment, Finance, Spa, Front Office, Concierge Service, Butler Service, Training, Human Resources, Environment- Health & Safety, Laundry Operations and Information Systems.
At the end of the work experience, Ellisha Cooper of Grenada Junior Academy was able to perfectly recall the full cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) process as demonstrated by the Training & Development Manager Sheena Williams, leaving everyone wowed at the post event debrief. “She was so confident and interested in learning new things. These children are well on their way and I felt honoured to be part of their journey,” shared Williams.
Xayne Dominique of Beacon Junior School spent his time with the Laundry Manager, Doreen Baptiste. “I learned about all the stages of washing, drying and folding, and I even got to feed towels into the towel folding machine. There is so much to wash; huge bins of towels, table cloths and sheets.”
On the contrary, Kunal Nundwai of Rainbow Junior Academy had only a bit of hard work followed by plenty pampering, as the Spa Manager Melissa Migliavacca pulled out all the stops to showcase the spa experience. “Kunal was very interested in the spa and we even gave him some wellness tips, products and a demonstration massage,” shared Migliavacca.
Entering the business of entertaining, Jaeda Newton of St. George’s Seventh Day Adventist Primary School, helped to pump up the fun with the resort’s playmakers; “I got to be part of the 4th of July parade; we wore hats and waved flags as the dancers paraded around the resort. It was so much fun!”
General Manager for the resort, Peter Fraser added, “Giving children these types of experiences could spark an idea, a concept or a goal that transforms their life and transforms Grenada. You just never know, so we have to build their self-confidence and keep them inspired.”
