Programme Overview

In 2007 two Marriott hotels and one IHG property piloted YCI in two Mexican locations simultaneously: Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta. In 2009 Cancun became the third location in Mexico. By 2013, fifteen top properties from six leading hotel chains including Hyatt, NH Hotels, Starwood, IHG, Hilton and Marriott have run YCI programmes benefiting over 340 young participants nationwide.

The Fundación Infantia, a local non-profit organisation advocating against the sexual exploitation of children in tourism, coordinates the initiative including garnering the support of other relevant partners from the public, private and non-profit sectors to provide a range of contributions to enable the effective delivery of different elements of the programme.

Spotlight on Mexico

According to the International Labour Organization, youth unemployment in Mexico has steadily been on the rise. Despite the release of recent figures by the government that show overall joblessness in Mexico declining to 9% in 2012, from 9.5% in 2010, youth unemployment and low levels of job creation remain a major concern for the nation.

A 2010 survey from more than 2,000 companies reported that 43% found it difficult to employ young adults due to the lack of opportunities and right skills needed for the labour supply-demand chain. This has caused large numbers of youth to either take up positions in the insecure underground economy in order to survive, or illegally immigrate to the United States.

YCI Mexico welcomes new students for 2012-13

Rafael Gonzalez, General Manager of NH Hotel Mexico City and Chair of the local Youth Career Council shared his anticipation:

“Starting this programme is like standing in front of an open door for the students. They will enter the intimate inner workings of each hotel, which is an opportunity that is not given to many. YCI will enable the participants to get to know themselves better by working closely with the hotel staff, and to eventually discover their vocation.”