Dive Brief:
- RiseHY, a new initiative from Hyatt Hotels Corporation has set a lofty goal for the employer: hire 10,000 young adults within the next seven years. The program seeks to provide candidates — 16- to 24-year-olds who aren't working or enrolled in school — with entry-level opportunities in the hospitality industry.
- RiseHY will leverage technology to increase awareness of careers in the industry, as well as position applicants to acquire jobs grow with training. From their homes or local community centers, candidates will be able to take virtual tours to discover what a day in the life entails for several hospitality-focused professions.
- Funding from Hyatt Hotels Foundation will contribute to AI-based tech that will allow community organizations to identify candidates' soft skills and match them with job opportunities in the industry, both within and outside of Hyatt.
Dive Insight:
Employers around the country are adopting similar initiatives to help with recruiting efforts, but also say they're seeing great results when it comes to retention. Gap Inc., for example, partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to expand its This Way Ahead skills and job-training program. By 2020, Gap said, it expects that more than 10,000 teens and young adults will have participated in the program, touting its "proven results."
Employers unable to launch large-scale initiatives are still recognizing the importance of a talent pipeline, bringing in high school students for summer jobs and internships, priming them for careers before they've even thought about college. Additionally, some are finding that students who may not be on a direct path to a four-year degree after high school graduation can be an untapped resource.
Likewise, businesses in various industries, from food to insurance, are increasingly looking toward apprenticeships, hoping to create a loyal, skilled workforce.