Hilton Worldwide Outlines Strategy to Address Skills Gap in Hospitality Industry, While Creating Opportunities for Youth in Developing Countries

Hilton Worldwide recently released is 2012 - 2013 Corporate Responsibility Report which outlines how the company is executing its global commitment to corporate responsibility, Travel with Purpose™. The report provides a summary of the organization’s efforts to address the skills gap within the hospitality industry, while creating opportunities for youth in developing countries.

The travel and tourism industry (of which the hospitality industry is a part) is one of the world’s largest employers and among the most important drivers of economic growth.  And the hospitality sector is a major contributor to this growth, both directly through the construction and staffing of hotels and indirectly by supporting local suppliers and enabling the growth of complementary businesses such as tour operators and restaurants.  More than 255 million people around the globe currently work in the travel and tourism sector, and by 2022, travel and tourism will employ 328 million people–creating 73 million new jobs.

The ability of Hilton Worldwide to sustain its business is linked inextricably to the personal and professional growth of its existing Team Members and the ability to attract new Team Members.  One of company’s foremost organizational priorities is to create an inclusive work environment with myriad opportunities for professional development and growth. Further, Hilton Worldwide is firmly committed to building its talent pipeline by providing career opportunities in the hospitality industry to military veterans and to the estimated 75 million unemployed youth who live in communities it serves.  The following highlights Hilton Worldwide’s efforts to create opportunities.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Announced a three-year, US $3 million partnership with the International Youth Foundation to connect the company’s global footprint with opportunities for youth within the hospitality industry.  The partnership is designed to provide the growing number of young people in communities around the world with access to life skills, education and employment opportunities within the hospitality industry.
• Launched Operation: Opportunity, a company-wide strategic initiative to hire 10,000 veterans, transitioning military, and their families over the next five years. Includes a customized careers website for Military personnel, as well as an internal boot camp to educate Hilton recruiters and human resources Team Members about military recruitment.
• Introduced Bright Blue Futures, a Hilton Hotels & Resorts’ program dedicated to addressing the challenges and opportunities faced by youth around the world. In 2012 hosted more than 700 events focused on career guidance and mentoring for youth --  20,000 volunteer hours impacting nearly 30,000 young people
• Through its award-winning Supplier Diversity Program, cultivated relationships with more than 4,400 women and minority-owned suppliers to reflect the global diversity of its portfolio of hotels; spent more than US $500 million with women and minority business enterprises in the United States.
• Offered Team Members access to more than 2,500 courses through Hilton Worldwide University to help them develop their talents and help them grow professionally.

Read more about Hilton Worldwide Opportunities in Action:

• Operation Opportunity: United States
• Careers @HiltonLive: Europe
• Hilton Mexico City Reforma, Mexico City, Mexico
• Hilton Petaling Jaya, Hilton Kuala Lumpur, and DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur
• Hilton Worldwide, United Kingdom
• Hilton Hanoi Opera, Hanoi, Vietnam
• Hilton Worldwide, Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Visit the Creating Opportunities section of the 2012 - 2013 Hilton Worldwide Corporate Responsibility Report to learn more.

Download the full interactive 2012 - 2013 Corporate Responsibility Report along with an indexed Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) summary.