Caribbean News
Sandals Corporate University Wins Double Gold in AI Innovation and Hands-On Hospitality Training
Montego Bay, St. James: Sandals Corporate University (SCU), the learning and development hub for Sandals and Beaches Resorts team members, continues to set the gold standard for excellence in AI implementation and training strategy as they celebrate their recent double win in the 2025 Brandon Hall GroupTM HCM Excellence Awards®.
Collaborating with Canadian-based corporate training company, Flint Learning Solutions, the SCU was awarded two gold medals for
projects submitted to the categories: Best Use of AI in Business Impact for elevating guest experiences with AI training and Best Learning in the Flow of Work for improving hospitality with on-the-job activities.
The awarding organisation, The Brandon Hall Group™, has, for over 30 years empowered and certified business excellence globally and through the HCM Excellence Awards®, which recognises organisations that have implemented best practices for initiatives in learning and development, talent acquisition and management, leadership development, human resources, sales performance, diversity, equity and inclusion and the future of work.
Highlighting the achievement, SCU’s Senior Corporate Director, Dr. Luz Longsworth stated, “the Hospitality industry requires a flexible and fast paced approach to on-the-job training and the SCU is excited about the possibilities for expanding the use of AI in its training model to enhance our team members’ learning experience and to ultimately continue providing our Sandals and Beaches Resorts guests with consistently excellent service.”
Lenise White, Sandals Resorts’ measurement and evaluation specialist also shared her enthusiasm about the win.
“The double gold win from the Brandon Hall Group™ is a tremendous recognition of the impact the SCU has made in transforming hospitality learning and service delivery. It signifies that our efforts to integrate AI into training are not only innovative but also delivering real business impact.”
The partnership between SCU and Flint has, since its application, redefined on the job learning, demonstrating how innovative technology and training can ease real-world business challenges in the hospitality industry. The programme establishes a new standard for hospitality talent development and has given way to the integration of personalised, AI-powered learning, geared towards enhancing team member capabilities and elevating the guest experience without disrupting daily operations.
“We’re incredibly proud of our partnership with Sandals Corporate University and the exceptional results we’ve achieved together. SCU’s
leadership in embracing innovative approaches to talent development has been instrumental in creating a programme that empowered employees to create the exceptional, memorable experiences that define the Sandals brand and keep guests returning year after year,” shared Flint’s Chief Executive Officer, James Glover.
The 2025 award entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives based on their alignment to business needs and environment, programme design, functionality and delivery, innovation and creativity among other criteria.
“This year’s Excellence Award winners exemplify the transformative power of strategic human capital management. Through their innovative approaches to talent development and employee engagement, these organizations have not only achieved remarkable business outcomes but have also redefined what it means to create truly people-centric workplaces,” remarked Brandon Hall Group Chief Operating Officer and HCM Excellence Awards® Programme Leader, Rachel Cooke.
The win follows another exceptional achievement in AI-powered training after the SCU copped the bronze award for Best Corporate University in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Implementations from the Global CCU, earlier this year.
Photo Captions:
Header: A group of proud team members from Sandals South Coast team pose for a quick photo op after receiving their training completion certificates.
1st insert: Sandals Ochi Beach Resort General Manager, Carol Bourke (left) presents Learning and Development Manager, Joy Bernard with her certificate of recognition for the role that she played in administering the training initiative.
2nd insert: Ghislain Boutoulle, hotel manager at Beaches Turks and Caicos (right) beams as he congratulates bar department team member, Andrew Clarke on his successful course completion.
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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