In October, seven full service hotels celebrated the graduations of 54 young people who have completed the 2011 Youth Career Initiative Programme (YCI) in Brazil.
YCI is a six-month education and employability programme for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. First implemented in Brazil in 2005, the initiative empowers young people to make informed career choices and realize the options available to them, improving their employability and enhancing their long-term social and economic opportunities.
At ceremonies held in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in October, the graduates were congratulated by relatives, members of the participating hotels, local partners and organisations that are interested in getting involved with the initiative.
Since then, 73% of the graduates have already secured employment whilst other 9% have decided to continue with their education and were able to secure scholarships to attend technical courses. The majority of those who have entered the job market are now working in hospitality (most of them at the hotels where they were trained), with about 5% of them gaining employment in administrative or sales roles within other sectors such as retail and public utility. This is a tangible illustration of YCI’s positive impact in transforming young people’s lives. Most of the remaining graduates are competing for places at Brazilian universities to start classes in January 2012.
One young graduate, Laiz de Almeida Rodrigues, 20, who trained at the Renaissance hotel in São Paulo not only won a place on a Hospitality course, but also secured a job as a trainee Sales Officer at Atlântica Hotels office. She commented:
"During the interview I mentioned that I spent six months training at the Renaissance hotel. This experience gave me an advantage over other candidates and I got the job! My plan is to build my career in Atlantica Hotels."
In Rio de Janeiro, the graduation ceremony was held at Senac, the National Commercial Training Service, a professional education institution that fully supports YCI’s aims. The event was organized by the YCI Operations Committee, comprised of HR staff from the participating properties: Copacabana Palace, JW Marriott and Sheraton Barra.
At the graduation in São Paulo, held at the InterContinental hotel, Mr. Francisco Garcia, Operations Director of the InterContinental Hotels Group for Brazil and General Manager of the property, commented: “It is very gratifying to be part of this initiative, because through it, we are able to track the growth of each of these young people, and with the help of our staff, we can provide them with a chance to enter the labor market. The hospitality industry is very promising and we are confident that if they are willing, with our help at the start, these individuals will have all they need to become great professionals”
At the event, Ms Priscila Costa, YCI Coordinator, Latin America announced that Aldeias Infantis SOS Brasil, a member of SOS Children’s Villages, is the new local supporting partner of YCI in São Paulo. This will involve supporting the Grand Hyatt, InterContinental, Marriott Airport and Renaissance hotels to deliver the 2012 programme. Aldeias Infantis SOS is a non-profit organization that promotes actions to protect the rights of children, adolescents and young people through social community development activities. As YCI’s local partner, Aldeias will identify suitable candidates and assist the selection process, develop value-adding partnerships (through its local network of partners) to support the programme locally, and monitor participants during and after the programme.
Ms Anne Laurentino, a YCI graduate of Sheraton Barra Rio de Janeiro, also explained what taking part meant to her: “I am very emotional today, because YCI really changed our lives. The hotel staff has given us experiences and skills that we will take with us for the rest of our lives.”