Sandals Corporate University awards $70,000 in scholarships to $70,000 in scholarships to staff

Thirty-six hospitality industry workers will further their education with the help of their employer, Sandals Grande Antigua, through the Resort Chain’s Sandals Corporate University (SCU). The team talents have received almost $70,000 in combined scholarship grants as they pursue everything from Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) subjects to Associate Degrees.
Annually, the SCU makes scholarships available to Sandals team talents throughout the resort chain across Caribbean. This year, EC$69,845.20 was awarded to talents in Antigua alone.
Some 90 percent of scholarship applicants from Sandals Grande Antigua were successful in their bid, and according to the property’s Training and Development Manager Matara Murphy, this is an enormous milestone that must be underlined.
“In our Sandals credo, which we recite every morning, we say that we believe in developing our team members, and Sandals is putting its money where its mouth is,” Murphy said.
Throughout the year, the SCU invests in Sandals team talents by making available a series of training programs, including a Harvard Mentorship Programme, which targets their immediate work environment and also education of the industry as a whole.
“But once a year, we invite our team to identify areas of study that they believe would add personal value and professional growth in the industry and we help them achieve these goals through scholarships from the SCU. What we really want to see is our staff members better themselves,” Murphy said.
Whether team talent were seeking to improve their CXC grades, complete a professional certification or pursue a full degree, they were eligible to apply for a scholarship. A panel of judges at the Sandals Corporate University made the decision based on the strength of the applications.
General Manager for Sandals Grande Antigua, Gaurav “Mr G” Sindhi, said he was proud to see team talents making deliberate moves to improve their education, securing their place in the island’s hospitality industry.
“At Sandals we believe our responsibility to our team goes beyond providing them with jobs. We have so many stories of people who have moved up the ranks from entry level to management, and education is the best engine to drive that. I am pleased to see our people investing in themselves, with our help,” Sindhi said.
Justin Phillip pursuing an Associate’s Degree, and Dwayne Harrison and Tony Bennett pursuing Diplomas, were among those to receive the most outstanding scholarships.
Other recipients include: Kenya Achom, Akeila Andrew, Elizabeth Bacchus, Gerda Baptiste, Vanessa Boyer, Hewson Burke, Ivorene Burke, Miriam Cooper-Thomas, Audine Duhaney, Marlyne Edwards, Courtney Forbes, Sharon Forde, Julian Fredericks, Patricia Greenaway, Sean Griffith, Shemika Harvey, Diahann Hibbert-Bacchus, Hemerd Hunter, Cherri Jones, Karen Joseph, Juliet Lambert, Donald Lawrence, Althea Lawson, Erlene Mortimer, Kathleen Murray, Brent Otto, Stewart Paige, Towana Sebastian, Omar Simon, Kenyatta Thomas, June Watkins, Letitia Williams.