Giving young people the skills to succeed

Training resource to support disadvantaged young people to build a better future in the hospitality industry and beyond

  • 99%

    Course completion rate*

  • 100%

    feel confident and prepared for work*

Introducing the curriculum

The curriculum provides a range of core employability skills over approximately 100 hours of teaching that are suitable for the hospitality industry and transferable to other sectors. The training consists of three modules:

Life skills

  • Building blocks
  • Communication skills
  • Digital skills
  • Financial literacy
  • Self discovery
  • Basic work-readiness
  • Values
  • Interview skills
  • Mindfulness

English for hospitality

  • Greeting and receiving
  • Offering help and advice
  • Giving directions
  • Using the telephone

Introduction to hospitality

  • Overview of the hospitality industry
  • Overview of the hotel industry
  • Overview of food and beverage
  • Overview of housekeeping
  • Overview of culinary
  • Workplace safety
  • Food safety
  • First aid
  • Understanding the guest

Building confidence and self-belief

The aim of the training is not just to give young people the skills and experience to find a job, but to develop their confidence and self-belief.
Chinyere youth employment programme trainee
“I have learnt to bring out the best in anything I do and achieve anything I put my mind to.”

Chinyere

Eleanora youth employment programme trainee
“The programme has helped me to be different, to be a pioneer and a leader in the hospitality sector.”

Eleanora

Developed with industry expertise

We have an established background running a youth employment programme across multiple countries supporting vulnerable young people. We recognised the need for a consistent training approach that would prepare trainees for work in any hotel and related industry.

The curriculum was created by compiling:

  • skills commonly included across hospitality brands’ training programmes
  • technical expertise provided by leading hotel chain IHCL
  • development by educational specialists
  • disability inclusion review supported by Inclusive Futures

The development of the curriculum was supported by an IHG Foundation legacy gift, which worked to set the foundations for stronger, healthier, more prosperous communities around the world environment.

“Travel and tourism has long been a thriving industry, typically accounting for one in 10 jobs around the world. As we come through this pandemic and get back to better times, IHG is proud to support the creation of this new training curriculum, which provides crucial opportunities to those most in need in our communities, and a chance to build a fulfilling career in hospitality.”
Yasmin Diamond, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, IHG Hotels & Resorts
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance curriculum cover
“I witnessed the transformation that the young people went through! This was also noted by potential employers who interacted with the trainees during the training period. Given the confidence with which they participated in discussions and activities, I know that my trainees are well prepared for any workplace.”

Trainer, CDSK (Cheshire Disability Services Kenya), participant in our curriculum pilot

Uniquely addressing the gaps and opportunities in the youth landscape

Our core employability skills curriculum helps to ensure greater relevancy and efficiency by providing a proven model that promotes collaboration beyond the boundaries of the hospitality industry. By making this resource accessible to other organisations we are aiming to increase the impact and scale into communities across the world, and further innovation.

The curriculum fills the gap for a succinct training for entry-level workers developed with input from the hospitality industry. Within one month of core training, graduates are ready for training or apprenticeship in entry level positions.

“We had two people who came into the Front Office Department for practical training. I was speaking to a guest to check if everything was ok. She mentioned how she had a conversation with one of our trainees, Manuel, who has a disability. She said having spoken to Manuel gave her a sense of understanding disability considering her daughter who is 13 years old was born without an arm. She said Manuel encouraged her a lot. We are proud to have partnered with Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.”

Dora Mshai, Radisson Blu Hotel and Residence Nairobi

How hospitality can help address global youth unemployment

Youth employment hospitality

Forecasts suggest that, as the world recovers from the pandemic, more than 100 million jobs could return to the global travel and tourism sector during 2021, which presents a huge opportunity to contribute towards decreasing youth unemployment.1 Hotels are present in most communities across the globe, so offers a worldwide solution to this global issue.

All hotels have jobs at an achievable entry level, which are suitable for young people from every background and don’t require high levels of education or previous experience.

Starter opportunities can then often lead to fulfilling, life-long careers, and provide skills that are transferable within the industry, and beyond.

 

Get involved

This curriculum is a free resource that can be used by qualified, non-commercial organisations to further the reach and help support more disadvantaged young people to build a better future.

We invite anyone who is interested in using this curriculum as part of their own youth employment initiatives to get in touch to find out more. This could include hotels, non-profits, training organisations, funders, or governments.

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Please note, access is only available to approved partners and members. Please get in touch to discuss further.
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References