Thirty unemployed Londoners were provided with the chance of a career in hospitality throughout 2018, due to an initiative funded by Solidarity AccorHotels, an endowment fund set up by AccorHotels to help fight economic and social exclusion of people at risk of poverty by improving their employability.
The participants have graduated from the ‘Hospitality Futures’ programme, developed by AccorHotels and The Springboard Charity to provide the opportunity for people to develop a career in hospitality. Due to the popularity of the partnership between AccorHotels UK & Ireland and The Springboard Charity, two programmes ran during 2018 with fourteen of the 30 graduating.
The graduation of those on the latest Hospitality Futures intake comes as Solidarity AccorHotels celebrates its 10th anniversary. Over the last decade, over 300 projects have been supported in 45 countries to help nearly 200,000 direct beneficiaries with the aid of over 20,000 AccorHotels employees as a direct result of the endowment fund.
Participants of Hospitality Futures have been through a variety of life challenges and adversities which have made it harder for them to find employment. The course aims to teach them a wide variety of skills that employers are looking for as well as those specific to the hospitality industry.
Thomas Dubaere, Chief Operating Officer Northern Europe at AccorHotels commented:
“Hospitality Futures has a proven track record of providing those who have struggled to find employment in London with skills, training and experience to help them begin a career within the hospitality industry. Its impact has been fantastic which is why we decided to run two programmes during 2018, resulting in 30 graduates.
“The hospitality industry offers an incredible range of opportunities and needs people with many different skills, interests and capabilities. The Hospitality Futures programme helps those who have previously been overlooked, often through factors outside of their control, find employment, while enabling hotels to find hidden talent.”
The first 2018 programme started accepting participants from a wider age range including more mature participants aged 40 and above, as well as those from younger age groups. All participants went through a six-week course, which included four weeks of classroom training and practical sessions followed by two weeks of on-the-job experience.
In 2018, 8 participants were offered permanent roles at AccorHotels as a result of the programme. A further 8 participants have been offered roles elsewhere in the industry to date.
The Springboard Charity supports each candidate with an after-care service which includes mentoring for a minimum of six months. This is coupled with professional mentoring from carefully trained Ambassador Mentors during and after candidate work placements.
Springboard’s Chief Executive, Anne Pierce, said: “We are once again delighted to be working with Solidarity Accor on the Hospitality Futures programme which continues to provide individuals with the opportunity to unlock their potential and pursue vibrant careers in the hospitality industry. Whether the group choose to continue within hospitality or not, we wish them every success in their future careers.”
