By John Myers Jr. Staff Reporter HUNDREDS OF applicants jam the premises at the Overseas Employment office at the Ministry of Labour daily, hoping to be among the 3,000 recruits currently being sought for the Overseas Hotel Employment Programme.
The Labour Ministry on Monday began a three-day island-wide recruitment drive in search of persons to fill vacancies in hotels in the United States, and according to Barrington Bailey,the Director of Manpower Services (U.S.), the recruitment drive went well.
Among the available positions were housekeepers, caddies, front desk personnel, bartenders, bussers, groundsmen, kitchen stewards, waiters and waitresses, cooks/chefs, and maintenance workers.
Mr. Bailey said the Ministry has been able to fill positions in all the categories advertised, and he was also pleased with the number of persons with suitable qualifications applying to fill vacancies.
"A number of persons who have experience and who have been trained have applied so we are not doing badly at this stage," he said yesterday.
HOTEL PROGRAMME
Currently, there are about 4,000 Jamaicans employed in the overseas hotel programme.
The process requires interested individuals to submit supporting documents to show proof of qualification, a valid Jamaican passport and recommendations before obtaining the requisite application forms at parish offices and designated centres across the island.
Applicants are also required to have at least two years working experience in the hotel industry, no criminal record, should not have been denied visa by U.S. Embassy over the last 12 months, and should not have been deported from the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, or any other country in order to be accepted in the programmes.
