The Setai plans apprenticeships, internships, certifications and management track for locals

INDIGO BAY--The Setai St. Maarten has outlined plans for a major local workforce development program that will include partnerships with St. Maarten schools, annual internships and apprenticeships, internationally recognized hospitality certification, culinary training and a defined pathway for residents to move into management and executive positions.

The initiative is intended to ensure that the employment impact of the luxury resort extends beyond simply creating jobs. The Setai said it wants St. Maarteners to have access to the education, practical experience and professional development needed to qualify for those positions and eventually lead within the organization.

The commitment is significant considering the scale of the development. The Setai expects to create more than 550 jobs, with more than eight out of every 10 positions, representing more than 440 jobs, expected to be filled by residents of St. Maarten.

As part of its workforce plans, The Setai intends to partner with the island's secondary and vocational schools to better connect what students are learning with the skills and professions the resort will require when it becomes operational.

The resort also plans to establish an annual internship and apprenticeship program, giving participants hands-on experience across its different departments. The approach would expose students and young professionals to more than frontline hospitality positions, with opportunities to learn how different areas of a large international resort operate.

One of the major components will be a culinary apprenticeship based on the Alain Ducasse tradition, providing aspiring local chefs and culinary professionals an opportunity to train to internationally recognized standards without having to leave St. Maarten.

Participants are also expected to have access to internationally recognized hospitality certifications, providing qualifications that can remain valuable throughout their careers, whether they continue at The Setai or pursue opportunities elsewhere in the international hospitality industry.

The Setai said the workforce plan will also include a clearly defined management track, creating a route from supervisory positions into departmental management and eventually executive leadership.

The focus on culinary development fits with previously announced plans for the resort. The People's Tribune has reported that The Setai St. Maarten will include five restaurant concepts, including Ocean Grill Beach Club and Jaya, inspired by concepts at The Setai Miami Beach.

The workforce initiative is the latest phase in a series through which The Setai has been detailing where its projected 550-plus jobs will be located and how the development intends to prepare residents to compete for them.

The Setai St. Maarten is being developed at Indigo Bay as the brand's first Caribbean property. The project includes a 205-key hotel and private villas, with construction underway and completion targeted for 2028. Previous reporting has also detailed plans for a destination spa, beach club, multiple pools, recreational facilities and a protected nature reserve.

The training plan places particular emphasis on building a workforce before the resort opens rather than waiting until recruitment begins. Partnerships with schools, apprenticeships and certification programs could allow potential employees to begin preparing for available positions while construction continues.

The resort has made local participation a central theme of its employment campaign, closing its latest series with the message: “Built here. Built with you.”

While the current public series detailing the jobs and training opportunities has concluded, The Setai said further information will be released as construction progresses toward 2028, including the steps prospective employees will eventually need to take to pursue opportunities at the property.

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