Hospitality in the Caribbean

The Caribbean’s existence is heavily based on tourism and catering to our visitors, hospitality is a very vital part in this case. With the booming Hospitality industry in this region the Caribbean provides loads of opportunities, both academic and technical routes, for your career in this field to come alive. Below is a list of both academic and technical routes that can lead you to a promising career in the hospitality field.

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Academic Routes

Before you start an academic course, there are a few things that you should consider:

Entry Requirements
What subjects should I choose to get to be suitable for the career/s I have in mind.

Be sure to speak to us at Brain Food TCI or any career advisor you may have access to, if you need assistance where entry requirements are concerned.

Secondary and Post Secondary towards Higher Education

Most, if not all high schools require you to do CXC’s, GCSE’s or any other equivalent, to be able to excel to Higher Education (college/university). In institutions in the Caribbean such University of West Indies for example you are required to have 5 CXC (CSEC & CAPE) OR IGCSE & GCE Subjects including Mathematics and English. If an institution does not have any of these listed when searching what is required, search for equivalencies through their admissions page or contact them directly for more information. Also, some courses may require you to have certain subjects that relate to the course, so be sure to check the entry requirements to know exactly what is required.

Higher Education

As mentioned earlier, CXC’s and or other equivalents are required to proceed to this level. In higher education, you have the ability to obtain:

Undergraduate

Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree

Postgraduate

Masters Degree
PhD

Depending on your journey and your career, you can decide how far you are willing to go in terms of further education. You do not need to go towards a Masters/PhD level unless it is required based on your field.

Hospitality Courses

University of the Common Wealth

This university has a course called Tourism and Hospitality Management BA with a 4 year duration. This course aims to educate and train individuals on the industry and increase chances of employabilty.

University of the Virgin Islands

In the Hospitality and Tourism Management Department, there are three courses pertaining to the hospitality industry:

Hotel and Restaurant Management
Hospitality and Tourism Management
Business Administration with a Concentration in Hotel and Tourism Management.

In continuation here are a list of more universities where you can study hospitality. Click on the links to be redirected to the course page for more information.

Barbados Community College/The Hospitality Institute
University of the Bahamas
The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill (Barbados)
Bermuda College (Bermuda)
The University of the West Indies, Mona (Jamaica)
University of Technology (Jamaica)
Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (St.Kitts & Nevis)
University of the West Indies, St.Augustine (Trinidad and Tobago)
Turks and Caicos Islands Community College
University of the West Indies, Open Campus (Turks and Caicos Islands)

Technical Routes

Technical routes focuses solely on your skill training and development. The following training institutions will provide you with insight on the wide variations opportunities within the region.

Caribbean Institute of Hospitality

This institute is a training and development facility, equipt to help you master and discover skills you did not realise you had. It complies of six areas of study:

Culinary Management Diploma: Training course at a supervisory level, allowing you to be able to obtain triple certification. This includes Level 2 Diploma (Commis Chef), Level 3 Diploma (Chef de Partie) and a Food and Beverage Restaurant Service Level 1 (Server).
Food and Beverage Service: This course created to provide on the job training and practice core skills needed to work as a restaurant server.
Cake Baking and Decorating: This course is created to practice baking and decorating cake skills.
Floral Arrangements
Cooking 101:This 8 week course allows you to specialise on dishes, from poultry to soups and sauces.
Housekeeping: This Level 1 course is designed for individuals who seek to learn about housekeeping for employment in this department.

Tourism Product Development (Jamaica)

This training institute was created to facilitate the diversification, development and improvement of the tourism product utilising an experienced and qualified staff for the enhancement of visitor experience by building consensus and alliances with stakeholders in the industry to engender socio-economic growth.

The institute provides training and development in areas such as bar tending, management strategies and foreign language.

To apply and read more on what they offer click here.

Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (Short Courses)

The institute provides short courses in areas within this industry such as Bar and Events Management. For further information on the courses, click here.

The following technical and academic routes are steps that will help you to get to where you need to be. From the information provided to you, can start right here in your region and at home. Also, do not shy away from getting jobs at hotels, restaurants or anywhere hospitality related, that is also a great start towards a career in this field. Always remember, embrace all opportunities near or far.