Guyana Marriott partners with Canadian college to train students in tourism & hospitality

A partnership between the Guyana Marriott Hotel and Seneca Polytechnic College of Canada is facilitating the training of foreign students in the art of tourism and hospitality, and they would have the option of remaining in Guyana to work in the industry upon completion of their training.

Canada’s Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, known as Seneca Polytechnic, is teaming up with the Guyana Marriott Hotel to offer hands-on training for its students in the areas of tourism and hospitality. Each practical training session would last for four months, and would be conducted at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown. Upon completion of their training, students would have the option of remaining in Guyana to work in the tourism and hospitality industry.
First cohort of students under this programme arrived in the country in January, and their training will be completed in April. The next batch would arrive in September. This initiative has the support of the Canadian High Commission in Guyana.
In an interview with Guyana Times, Darshan Singh, the Human Resources Manager of Marriott Hotel, declared this a wonderful opportunity for Guyana.
“Among many initiatives, we have a vested interest in promoting education, especially in the tourism sector in Guyana, because we know that the market is limited in terms of capacity. We have both local and foreign countries working with us, and this is where we have the opportunity to give back,” he detailed.
Singh explained that the Guyana Marriott Hotel has fostered several partnerships, including one with Food For the Poor (Guyana) Incorporated for the Angels of Hope Programme, and has played host to a meeting with tourism stakeholders and the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality (CTH) of the UK.
Explaining that the vast number of locals currently employed in positions at the hotel can certainly accommodate growth, Singh said, “At this moment, we have about 354 staff, and the majority of those staff are local. So, if we bring in two expatriates, they add to the capacity-building, they do the job training, and the hospitality sector will definitely grow.”
Guyana Times also spoke with the Regional Business Development Manager for Seneca Polytechnic, Shalini Jaggan, who noted that this project could help address any shortage of human resources within the local tourism industry.
“One of the things we wanted to ensure was that these persons have a 360-degree experience,” she said.
“Given the number of hotels in Guyana, there is an evident need for individuals in hospitality and tourism. As more individuals are trained, there will be a supply of people in hospitality and tourism. We wanted to give the students a taste of that as well, so what they do on a rotation basis is participate in different areas. During those four months, they will gain experience in front desk customer service, the kitchen, housekeeping…and they will also understand a bit of the operations and engineering. It’s a very comprehensive experience,” she detailed.
Jaggan also highlighted that the students are well taken care of by Marriott, and Marriott’s focus is diversely driven on supporting Guyana’s overall growth, especially as it pertains to tourism.
“They provide security training and give them the opportunity to enjoy Guyana as a whole. Marriott does give back; so, it’s about helping students as a whole, and that all-around support is there. It’s not just about the business; it’s also about helping Guyana and its people,” she said.
More importantly, she relayed, it is quite pivotal for students to be taught in a way that prepares them to address any possible real-world situations because of the training they have received.
“And more importantly, this opportunity allows for students to be 360 degrees ready for the world of work; and this is what sets Seneca apart from other institutions. We also give students real-world opportunities to make mistakes, learn, and be ready for the job they are applying for,” Jaggan highlighted.
Guyana Times caught up with one of the students in the programme, Jennifer Marshal, who shared that the experience has so far been rewarding.
“It was a lot of observing the next person, learning from their moves, and understanding what’s right and what’s not right. It was a lot at first because, with their culture being different, there was a language barrier. But again, you learn over time. In hospitality, it’s easy to learn, because everyone is different. It was challenging with the language barrier, though,” she shared.