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The purpose of this qualitative, single-case study was to explore the development of Jamaica’s maritime education and training (MET) curriculum within the local education context. In this research, the story of the development and sustainability of the local MET curriculum in its 40-year journey from 1980 to present (post 2020), as communicated by various maritime stakeholders and archival documents, is chronicled.

The study utilized a qualitative orientation and was an embedded single-case study in its design. The entire local MET institution community and those legislatively and operationally allied to its sustained viability constituted the general population of this study. Non-probability sampling techniques were used to arrive at a maximum variation sample. Three sources of data were used in this study: individual interviews, focus group discussions and documents.

The Jamaican (local) MET curriculum was the brainchild of local perspicacity that was empowered by international benevolence. It was developed to satisfy market demands that existed at the time of its inception. These market requirements of the maritime industry are what impacted the development of the local MET curriculum over four decades. Several other factors led to the sustained viability of the local MET curriculum. These included the ability of the local MET curriculum to meet direct market needs and maintain its fitness for purpose.

It is the view of the researcher that the findings of this study were limited by the fact that the voices of current students and employers from the four decades of the curriculum's existence are not represented in this initial study. The perspectives from these two sources would have broadened the description presented in this study.

This research has shown that specialized higher education (HE) institutions are better served in their business when they maintain a symbiotic relationship with the industry for which they are producing graduates.

The treatment of HE as a service industry has gained traction globally. This would suggest that ‘product placement' in specialized HE is important to the growth, development and longevity of that course of study within the society in which it exists.

There is a dearth of national research on Jamaica's four-decades-old MET curriculum and the elements that lend to the sustained viability of same. This discussion of sustainability of the MET curriculum will benefit maritime educators and policymakers, who must continue to hone this curriculum so that it is fit for purpose. The study will also identify some of the elements of a sustainable, specialized HE curriculum. The elements identified herein can serve as exemplars and conceptual starting points for other contexts where the discussion of the sustainability of curriculum needs to be had.

The aim of this article is to examine some of the imperatives surrounding the preparation of the workforce for the cruise and hospitality industry after the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes a competency-based approach to training.

An analysis of peer-reviewed material was conducted. This involved looking at the literature on the cruise and hospitality industry in the Caribbean region and specifically, Jamaica. Attention was then given to how aspects of training in competency-based education/training (CBE/T) could be utilised to prepare the workforce to sustain a viable cruise and hospitality industry during and after the pandemic.

The pandemic reveals some of the weaknesses of global tourism and academia more generally in terms of curricula and has pointed out that most of the training methods, techniques, pedagogies and subject areas may change in times of crisis in order to better prepare for response and recovery policies, strategies and research. Some of the competencies that the post-pandemic cruise and hospitality workforce will require were identified in the review, such as technological, health management and resilience competencies.

The review implies that there are new and emerging competencies that are driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. These must be reflected in a competency-based education and training (CBET) curricula as educational change will be required to prepare the post-pandemic workforce.

Relationships and results will need to be the focus of CBET for the cruise and hospitality industry. Although the customer focus will remain for industry workers, the workforce will need to learn to interact with tourists via touchless applications, simulations and virtual interactions.

This paper is of value to educators and trainers in the cruise and hospitality industry.