Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham is set to attend today’s opening of the Sandals Corporate University (SCU) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

The new school is the brainchild of the operators of luxury all-inclusive Sandals resorts, which cater to couples only. As well as in The Bahamas, Sandals has resorts in Jamaica, St Lucia and Antigua.

Sandals employs 1,200 Bahamians between its three facilities in The Bahamas: Balmoral in Nassau, Emerald Bay in Exuma and Fowl Cay in the Exuma Cays. The new training provided to Bahamians attending the institute is expected to further boost tourism service standards in The Bahamas.

The first of its kind in the Caribbean, the SCU will certify staff members currently without formal academic qualifications and provide qualified team members with an avenue to advance their education, says Sandals.

The resort operator says its SCU’s programmes will place staff on a learning pathway that can ultimately lead to master’s and doctoral degrees.

The programmes are being offered through partnerships with internationally recognized Ryerson University in Canada; the Western Hospitality Institute in Jamaica; and the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning. The latter is expected to provide classes in mathematics and English for those in pursuit of high-school equivalency.

The corporate university’s courses and programmes range from basic hospitality training to professional certifications covering an array of disciplines.

The courses are designed to meet internationally accredited standards and will be administered by certified hospitality educators trained by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute and Sandals-trained certified departmental trainers.

tblair@dupuch.com