Hilton Worldwide hotels across Australasia have taken part in Careers@Hilton Live: Youth in Hospitality Month, Hilton Worldwide’s largest ever global career event showcasing to young people, the many opportunities available in the hospitality industry.
Throughout the month of May, Hilton Worldwide hotels and corporate offices around the globe are hosting hundreds of events to inform those looking for employment, including young people, about the vast array of exciting opportunities available to all in the hospitality industry.
This month long initiative is part of Bright Blue Futures, a global program that encourages Team Members to donate their time and expertise to help young people achieve stability and bring hope to their communities, preparing them for a brighter future.
“Young people continue to face challenging employment prospects, but the vibrant and growing hospitality industry offers some fantastic opportunities to young people with a diversity of interests and skills,” said Hilton’s Vice President Operations Australasia, Ashley Spencer.
“Through these series of events we are connecting and preparing young people with the knowledge and experience they need to make informed decisions about their future.”
Young people – the biggest demographic in the world – are facing serious challenges building and growing careers. In 2013, nearly 74 million young people were unemployed. Career preparation is crucial for these young people and their contribution to our global economy. The travel and tourism industry is the world’s single largest employer, supporting one in every 11 jobs worldwide, and will need to play a leading role in addressing the youth unemployment challenge. Furthermore, studies show there is a mismatch between the skills company’s need and those young people have. Only 43 percent of employers surveyed worldwide agreed that they could find enough skilled entry-level workers. Additionally, many young people are not clear on the opportunities that are open to them, with less than half (46 percent) saying they were aware of the sectors where there were many jobs available. Through this initiative, Hilton Worldwide, wants to ensure all job seekers, including youth, have access to the best available information about opportunities the industry provides.
Careers@Hilton Live: Youth in Hospitality events are a unique opportunity for Hilton Worldwide Team Members to inspire and inform young people about careers in the hospitality industry, and to support them by providing guidance on the skills that are vital to succeed in the workplace and beyond. Participants have been joining Hilton Worldwide Team Members for events ranging from résumé clinics, to career speed-networking, as well as presentations from Team Members on their career paths.
Careers@Hilton Live: Youth in Hospitality events that have taken place across Australasia include:
-Careers@Hilton Live Exhibition Days; Australasian Regional Office, Hilton Sydney, Hilton Brisbane, Fiji Resort & Spa by Hilton and Hilton Auckland – The open days aimed to motivate people to discover a meaningful and long-term career in the hospitality industry, by having direct access to career discussions with our hotel leadership team, as well as our industry partners. The events consisted of hotel and industry booths, career workshops, hotel tours, competitions, live demonstrations and more.
-Work Experience Programs; Hilton Melbourne on the Park, Hilton Melbourne South Wharf, Hilton Auckland, Hilton Sydney – students and people looking to enter the hospitality industry are given invaluable hands-on experience in the hotel department(s) of their choice. Run in conjunction with local hotel colleges, TAFE, VET hospitality high schools and The Australian Navy.
– “Day in the life” Hotel Tours and Career Workshops; Hilton Surfers Paradise, Hilton Brisbane, Hilton Queenstown, Parmelia Hilton Perth, Hilton Cairns, Hilton Darwin, DoubleTree by Hilton Alice Springs, Hilton Melbourne on the Park, Hilton Melbourne South Wharf, Hilton Adelaide – practical ‘hands-on’ experience and career workshops discussing hospitality career paths and success stories, applying for jobs and interviewing techniques.
-Student & Team Member Competitions; Hilton Queenstown, Hilton Surfers Paradise, Parmelia Hilton Perth, Fiji Resort & Spa by Hilton and Hilton Sydney – “Cook-off” contests, cocktail making, bed-making, tray racing and bar flair competitions for local Team Members, high school VET students, TAFE, university and hotel college students.
-Hotel School College Career Presentations and Demonstrations; Hilton Melbourne on the Park, Hilton Melbourne South Wharf, Hilton Auckland – hotel leadership teams visited local colleges and schools to conduct presentations based on their career stories, and practical demonstrations for students.
Careers@Hilton Live: Youth in Hospitality Month is a part of Hilton Worldwide’s Open Doors commitment, which aims to positively impact at least one million young people by 2019 and better prepare them to reach their full potential.
Anyone unable to attend an event during the month of May can still take part in Hilton Worldwide’s “Career Concierge,” in which everyone interested in learning more about careers in hospitality can submit their questions online via Hilton Worldwide’s Twitter feed (@HiltonWorldwide) using hashtag #CareersatHiltonLive, or through the form on www.hiltonworldwide.com/youth. Each week in May, this website will be updated to host a selection of the submitted questions, answered by a panel of Hilton Worldwide Team Members.