Government of Jamaica
We continue our TSIP talk where we learn about experiences of our budding interns who have been given work experience through the Tourism Summer Internship Programme (TSIP)/ Housing Opportunity Production and Employment (HOPE) programme. While it would be great to hear from the nearly 2000 students who are participating this year, we simply don’t have the time!
We have therefore provided snippets of the experience from a few of our students; after all it can’t get better than hearing from the direct source!
Johmal Wright is soft spoken and never fails to smile. The 22 year old University of Technology student didn’t hesitate to share his thoughts about a programme he believes offers a myriad of benefits for Jamaican youths. The Old Harbour native learnt about TSIP through some friends who had previously participated and must have enjoyed the experience to encourage Mr. Wright to jump on board.
Mr. Wright received placement at our headquarters in Kingston in the Procurement Unit, he simply describes the experience as “great”, mentioning how comfortable and at home he feels while working. His main activities include setting and recording Purchase Orders, doing tender reports and assisting with other procurement procedures (quite important tasks!)
He describes his work days as “very good, productive and filled with interesting tasks to carry out” and says that he looks forward to coming to the office every day. Johmal is especially pleased that he is gaining experience in his business course of study which is essential to him achieving his career development goals, as Procurement deals with buying, selling and accounting.
Johmal is pleased with the programme as it allows young people to gain the valuable experience they so crave. This important stepping tool to career development, for Johmal is different from sitting in a classroom and making notes, the practical exposure is definitely important.
His advice to other participants is that they should try to learn as much as possible so they can apply the knowledge wherever they go.
“Experience gained, regardless of the field, can us help them to become better employees in a few months or years. “
His ultimate goals are to complete his degree and to be employed in procurement, finance or accounts, preferably in a tourism entity.
Every year, the students participate in a mandatory orientation, which is executed by our training department. Johmal and the other interviewees all agree that it was informative and provided a roadmap on how to operate professionally in a work place.