With a mission to train 250 craft traders in Montego Bay we felt our best approach would be to train local trainers (all TPDCo consultants – TPDCo is the Jamaican Government’s tourism product development agency) to undertake the delivery. In doing so the expertise would stay in Jamaica with the potential to allow replication in other resorts.

An hour into the training we knew our strategy was the right one. Let’s just say Jamaicans do not have the same ‘reserve’ as us British! Their delivery is loud and powerful with an energy as strong as the imminent Hurricane Matthew about to hit the island. They train like preachers in a gospel church with joy echoed by the participants in the room. And of course this can be the only way to do it with a target audience of Mo Bay craft traders, used to communicating in the local patois with their characteristic brassy banter.

This was fun training at its best with our formidable team of six – Cavelle, Cheryl, Marlene, Maxine, Natalie and Shelley. They revealed how filling a jar with coins could reinforce the learnings and lowering a bamboo stick with the whole group can demonstrate the importance of team work.

With modules including knowing the customer, business skills and working as a team, the trainers are set to deliver the programme to the craft traders over the next six weeks – barring any hurricanes!

Our aims for the training are to enable the market traders to earn a living from tourism by increasing their income from sales and improving the experience for tourists.