New Students Join Tourism Cadet Corps in Antigua

A group of 35 young people have now been enlisted into the latest installment of the Tourism Cadet Corps program. The initiative was reconvened earlier this week, with a commencement ceremony that saw the introduction of 35 newly recruited cadets to the 2007-2008 program.

The cadets, ranging from ages 15-18 were drawn from the Antigua Girls’ High School, the Antigua Grammar School, Christ The King High School, Pares Secondary School and the Premier School.

Speaking at the commencement ceremony, Minister of Tourism Harold Lovell, applauded the students for taking the first step in learning more about Antigua and Barbuda’s dynamic tourism product and challenged them to seriously consider the industry as a viable career option.

Tourism Education Training and Awareness Manager in the Ministry of Tourism Cynthia Simon noted that the program provides cadets with a clear understanding of the country’s main industry.

Also present at the ceremony was now former acting junior minister of tourism Andrena Athill, Antigua and Barbuda’s representative at last year’s Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Youth Congress in the Bahamas. Athill was a bronze medal winner for her presentation.

The tourism cadets meet every Wednesday at the Multi-Purpose Cultural and Exhibition Center. Their meetings are sponsored by the Caribbean Union Bank. Discussions and research on tourism topics, hospitality clinics, seminars and workshops, destination tours, tourism projects, personal development sessions and work experience/internship programs, all make up part of the year-long program.