The Public Entity of St. Eustatius, New Challenges Foundation (NCF) and Island Essence have agreed to collaborate on educating and preparing young adults for the job market in the tourism and hospitality of St. Eustatius. The proof of commitment was endorsed today, Thursday August 28th, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “The Golden Opportunity Job Program”. This program entails the training and eventual employment of 18 persons at the Golden Rock Estate, for 12 months. After 12 months of training on the job and proven excellence performance, a 2-year job contract at the Golden Rock Estate is guaranteed.
The selection of candidates will be done in close collaboration between the Island Essence and the Labor Department. NCF will deliver the teachers and instructors to train the hospitality employees in various areas: front desk, bartending, waitressing, hostess etc. Island Essence will help the Labor Department to establish the standards and criteria for admission, testing, review, completion and passage of the training program. Island Essence will also guide candidates in acquiring sufficient practice during the project to help them execute duties required for skills development.
The major trust of the MoU is to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the labor department of the Public Entity, NCF and Island Essence which represents the new 5-star Golden Rock Estate. Deputy Government Commissioner, Ms. Alida Francis, said during the signing of the MoU that excellent work has been done by bringing the stakehoilders together. “The organizations will closely collaborate and make use of each other’s expertise and experience to ensure the success of this Golden Opportunity Job Program. This agreement builds on the amazing work we have done with all the stakeholders in mapping the hospitality requirements of the Golden Rock Estate and the training needs to achieve a high standard of service. We welcome the opportunity to strengthen our commitment to further develop our tourism sector, particularly in this challenging time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Public Entity of St. Eustatius will contribute with 70% of the expenses related to the Golden Opportunity Job Program. The funding is made possible through the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment in The Hague. Persons that want to work at the new hotel, will go through a process existing of a selection process and a competence analyses, conducted by the Labor Department of the Public Entity. When candidates are selected, they will go through a training program at the NCF, followed by placement by the Labor Department.