Hotels help unemployed youth find jobs
by Leon Gettler
With a youth unemployment rate hovering at around 12 per cent, hotels are now stepping in with training schemes to help young people find jobs.
Five Sydney hotels have started training unemployed teenagers in preparation for jobs.
The Industry Employment Initiative (IEI) has been developed by Social Ventures Australia, Jesuit Social Services and MAX Employment .
It’s a scheme that has bought in Sydney hotels Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney, Swissotel Sydney, Courtyard Sydney-North Ryde by Marriott and Holiday Inn Darling Harbour.
These hotels are now providing work experience and jobs in food and beverage, kitchen, stewarding, housekeeping and doing front-office work.
The first Sydney cohort graduated last Friday. They start work experience in hotels on Monday.
The bottom line is that the hotels aren’t doling it out of philanthropy: they’re actually getting something out of it by building their workforce, adding skills and creating a more diverse workplace.
According to Social Ventures Australia, the IEI, which is funded by philanthropy, is designed to meet the needs of national employers.
The problem at the moment is that job creation schemes aren’t working.
The data shows that only 7 per cent of employers use the current government employment system to recruit staff. There are big issues around inadequately matched and untrained candidates and a system of too many contact points when employers would prefer a “one stop shop” when dealing with the employment services system.
The aim of the IEI is simple: bridge the gap between national employers who have vacancies and long-term unemployed jobseekers who are willing and able to work.
Andrew Hecker, human resources director at Radisson Blu Sydney, told Fairfax Media that the pre-employment course provided training in responsible service of alcohol and professional coffee making, interview skills, grooming and how to behave in the workplace.
"The final part of the program is five days of work experience, which is what they are participating in," Mr Hecker said.
"At the end of it we will provide employment to them."
3rd March 2016
