• News from the JTTI

    Posted on March 28, 2016

    Some changes have occurred at the JTTI since our last update.
    Our graduation ceremony took place last June and we had our final group of Diploma students pass through the school.

    The previous June, we began our Module Certificate program with 19 students (originally 22) which ran concurrently with our Diploma program. It was a busy time, to say the least.
    Presently, at the JTTI we are doing a Train-the Trainer program with two of our Diploma graduates: Abdullah and Omar. The course is very intensive as they cover all of the courses that a student teacher would take. Subjects like Educational Psychology, Curriculum Instruction and Lesson Planning, Measurement and Evaluation, being some of them. They are so eager to learn and a great deal of what they have studied is already impacting on their view of bringing up children and how people think. They are now doing the practical part of their program with students from Jambiani who are in the hospitality sector.
    This has all been brought about by a new hotel that is being built in Kendwa, which is on the north-west side of the island. Omar and Dulla will be heading up there at the beginning of May to start training 12 new students whom we interviewed last November. The hotel, Zuri White Sands, as far as I know is the first one on the island to actually take people from the village and training them so that they will eventually become management staff. This is a three program and as you can imagine it is also a wonderful opportunity for Omar and Dulla.
    We also offered Italian and German classes which have just ended. This is an annual offering by Gaffi and Christian who have been teaching these courses for the past few years.

    On April 1st we will be hosting a group of students from West Island College (WIC) Calgary, Alberta. Thirty-five students and teachers will be spending the day in Jambiani where they will meet a group of our students from across the years. We have arranged a village tour, lunch, and visits in the village for them. It will be a great opportunity for north to meet south.

    The wonderful thing about our programs is that the students are able to get great jobs. We actually don’t have enough students for the demand the hotels have for our students. Here a few personal success stories from this year:
    Abdul-Halim (Module class) is now working at Mnemba Island. He will be going to two of their other hotels for further training as they are very eager to develop a long standing relationship with him. We call him Little Abdul, versus our other Abdul who is known as Happy Abdul. He is just turning 20.
    Other students are at the Park Hyatt Zanzibar. Desmon (Diploma class) is already looking to conquer the world as he is going to get the opportunity to do some supervisory training. Shaffi (Module class) is in their pastry kitchen and can’t stop smiling.
    Ally (Module class) is at the Hilton at Reception, several Diploma students are at Mashariki Palace, Emerson Spice, and Emerson on Hurumzi, among others. If you look at the hotel web sites you will see the quality of the hotels that the students are working at. Other students are in Jambiani or nearby, so we get visits and updates from them.

    Many thanks and lots of appreciation goes out to our volunteer teachers, most especially Kenn Scott. Rodrigo, Betiana, Anja, Olaf, Steffi, Stephanie, Jenni, Claudia, and Maaike; you were also a huge part of the success here and I know that the students have so much gratitude towards all of you for your support, as I do.

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