Chef Ravi Anne hails tourism certification programme
THE INTRODUCTION of the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI) certification programme by the Ministry of Tourism and other industry partners is being regarded as the pillar that could support Jamaica’s tourism product to greater heights.
That’s the view of India-born Ravi Anne, executive chef with responsibility for overseeing all three Jewel Properties, part of the Playa Resorts Group, in St Ann.
Anne is well-known in the Jamaican hospitality sector and has been credited as having a vast knowledge of the local tourism product and its offerings. He has been a resident in Jamaica for the past 18 years – a place he now has an inseparable relationship with. He renounced his Indian citizenship 10 years ago to become a Jamaican citizen.
“Jamaica is my home. It has given me a lot, and the people make me feel at home,” he said.
In recent months, just about 150 employees in the hotel sector benefited from training and certification through the JCTI programme.
Anne was one of the participants and now holds the coveted title as one of only two JCTI-certified evaluators on the island. This status, bestowed on him by a team of international certifying bodies, gives him the authority to evaluate other hotel employees, primarily in the culinary category, to render them competent and certified.
“This JCTI programme will raise the bar for the entire Jamaican hotel sector. It aims to train and certify all persons in the industry, which is a first of its kind for Jamaica, allowing hospitality workers to gain global certification and recognition,” Annesaid. He is confident that every hotel and high-end restaurant in Jamaica will eventually benefit from the JCTI programme.
“The workers’ skill level would increase so significantly that it would make the sector even more proud of the quality cuisine being offered in Jamaica and across the Caribbean,” he observed. “Employing chefs and other workers from abroad will not help Jamaica; one of the sector’s goals is to prevent this from happening by training and getting the local workforce certified. My personal goal is to develop more Jamaican chefs to become executive chefs and for them to be certified,” noted Ravi.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says that with many more rooms set to come on stream, many new doors of opportunity will be opened for workers, and with certification, he is confident that there will be enough workers to take up the new jobs. The minister also notes that because the certification is globally recognised, Jamaican workers will be able to work anywhere in the world. “Various institutions across the island now offer aspects of the hospitality training, giving some level of flexibility to the workers who are based in resort towns,” Bartlett said.