Making good on a promise to provide team members the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, Adam Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of Sandals Resorts International has announced the granting of approximately JMD$14.5M in scholarships under the Sandals Corporate University (SCU) scholarship programme.

 

Reiterating the company’s strong belief in investing in human resources, Stewart said, “I’m delighted that this day has finally come. I congratulate each and every one of our first ever ‘scholars’ and wish them the very best of luck with their studies. Each are extremely worthy of their place and I know they will do us proud.

 

The Sandals Corporate University started after a lot hard work undertaken by dedicated people and I’m overjoyed that our team members are now set to benefit. I believe this is the start of something special.”

 

In its inaugural year and in time for this academic year, 124 team members have been awarded a range of full and partial scholarships through the SCU. Over 170 team members across the region applied for the scholarships, resulting in 93 general scholarships being awarded to students pursuing literacy and numeracy programmes, CXC/O-Level subjects, professional certificates and Bachelors and Associate Degrees pursued through the SCU and Western Hospitality Institute (WHI). 

 

The SCU also awarded 31 open scholarships to team members wishing to pursue Masters or Bachelor’s Degrees and professional certification programmes with external universities, nine of which were awarded to current management trainees. Professional certificates and degree programmes to be pursued include Finance and Accounting, Supply Management, Media and Communication, Risk Management, Project Management, Organisational Psychology, Education, and Hospitality and Restaurant Management.

 

Trishrone Flowers, scholarship recipient from Sandals Resorts International’s Procurement Division is delighted to have received an open scholarship to pursue professional certification in Supply Chain Management. She said, “It’s a great feeling to be one of the scholarship recipients.  Personal and professional growth is necessary in order to advance in today’s workplace and I am truly happy that I have been given the opportunity to pursue this avenue of my career development. This will definitely be an asset to my job as a Group Purchasing Administrator at the Procurement Division. “

 

Launched in March, the SCU aims to formalise staff training and development by allowing team members to pursue a range of courses from high school equivalency programmes, professional certificate programmes and higher degrees. These opportunities have also been bolstered by partnerships forged with Ryerson and Florida International Universities, The University of West Indies’ Cave Hill campus and the WHI.

 

Since its launch, almost 500 team members have enrolled in the SCU, pursuing internal courses in customer service, training and leadership.