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( 20 plus
years of existence , a Milestone 1988- 2009)At Western Hospitality Institute/WHI, service is
our number one priority. This tag line is an indication of the level of
education our students receive. It is no wonder, that the Jamaican
number one news paper- the Daily Gleaner, captioned its story published
on Thursday August 16, 2 004- ”Western Hospitality Institute makes
service good business”. The institution evaluates its program
constantly, and repositions itself to meet the demands of the Jamaican
hospitality industry.
WHI continues to make education available to less
qualified Jamaicans leaving high/secondary schools, or working within
the tourism industry without the necessary CXC or GCE O-level
qualifications. These applicants would not be able to access training
in the Jamaican tertiary institutions without these qualifications. For
these persons, training at the tertiary level has been through the gates
of WHI.
In its initial stages, twenty years ago, WHI
established scholarship agreements with reputable and accredited
international colleges such as Hocking College in the USA, and George
Brown College in Canada. This connection afforded WHI graduates
matriculation requirements for entry into these colleges to pursue their
degrees. Upon completion of their studies, some graduates returned to
work in the Jamaican tourism industry. Armed with their international
experience and exposure to the hospitality industry, they had an added
advantage above graduates from within the Jamaican system. This
international network system has increased to include over twelve
colleges and universities.
To date the institution has
graduated over one thousand (1 000) students most of whom hold senior
and middle management positions in Jamaican and International hotels.
Some continue to pursue their studies at the Masters and Doctoral levels
internationally. WHI
has been successful in establishing an academic bridge building program
for its graduates to access scholarships at all levels of their studies
at reputable and accredited international colleges and universities.
In January 2001, the institution went through the
registration process with the University Council of Jamaica/UCJ a member
of the world council of accrediting bodies and was successful in gaining
registration as a Registered Tertiary Jamaican Institution. WHI is also
a member of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and
Institutional Education/I-CHRIE. As a member of Council Heads of
Caribbean Hospitality Schools/CHOCHS, WHI will network with its
Caribbean counterparts in order to align its programs with institutions
regionally and internationally.
WHI is proud of its achievements to date and
continues to be the trend- setter in hospitality education in Jamaica. The records showcase the following achievements:
·
Students are exposed to three learning styles
a)
Traditional Teacher Directed Learning/TTDL
b)
Supervised Self Directed Learning/SSDL
c)
Internet Based learning/IBL
·
In collaboration with the Jamaica Cake Decorators
Association staged the first and very successful International Cake
Exhibition/Competition in May 2 001.
·
The only Jamaican hospitality institution that organizes
and implements “Distinguished and Professional Lecture Series”.
·
The introduction of Prior Learning Assessment /PLA, a
program that gives mature students a medium through which they can
matriculate based on their experience.
·
Outstanding networking skills resulting in the
establishment of Articulation Agreements with several accredited
international colleges and universities.
Further achievements can be seen in the Achievement
and News section of this website. in addition to our achievements the
institution now boast several accredited Associate and Bachelor degree
program.
The institution continues to struggle to find
creative and affordable ways to assist Jamaicans financially to pursue
their educational career. Although the tuition is amongst the cheapest
of the institutions in Jamaica, the institution boasts a very good
quality education. In an article published by the Jamaican daily
gleaner on April 5, 2 004, under the heading “Should We Train Jamaicans
to Migrate”, Dr. Omar Davies, Minister of Finance stated that “80% of
the tuition for Jamaicans attending Jamaican government tertiary
institutions is subsidized by the government of Jamaica”. WHI does not
receive a government subsidy, and to keep the tuition as low as it now
is, yet giving a good quality education, proves a daunting task.
To this end, the institution extends its sincere
gratitude and appreciation to the Jamaican business community that has
contributed in kind, to the hard working staff who has given their
service for a salary below their financial worth, and the hard working
Board of Directors whose affiliation has contributed to the enviable
image of the institution.
We look forward to continuous growth and prosperity
as we expand our market share in the Caribbean, increase our regional
and international enrollment and diversify the culture.
Cecil Cornwall FIMCA, CHE MSc
Founding President & CEO.
Western Hospitality Institute | 
