InterContinental Hotels Group forms partnerships to launch IHG Dead Sea Hotels Training Academy

Kicking off a new initiative in support of the Dead Sea area’s local community, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed agreements with a number of partners in support of the upcoming launch of the IHG Dead Sea Hotels Training Academy. During a ceremony at Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea-Jordan on May 22, 2016, Firas Irsheidat, Area General Manager of IHG Dead Sea Properties, signed partnership agreements with Mr. Ibrahim Osta, Chief of Party at the USAID Building Economic Sustainability through Tourism (BEST) Project; Ms. Reem Al-Zaben, Deputy Executive Director of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD); Mr. Ibrahim Al-Daghemat, President of the Ghor Al-Mazra’ah Club andMr. Hashem Al Masarwa, Founder of Ta’asheerah..

The IHG Dead Sea Hotels Training Academy, which is being carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and the Amman Chamber of Commerce, aims to provide youth from the Jordan Valley with the necessary skills and knowledge to benefit from the many employment opportunities available within hotels. This will increase the number of Jordanians qualified to work in the hotel industry and contribute to meeting the increasing demand for skilled employees in this vital sector in the Kingdom. In addition, by hiring trainees, the Academy will enable IHG to immediately create at least 50 jobs annually, eventually forming a pipeline of skilled employees ready to fill jobs at IHG Dead Sea Properties and other hotels in the area.

Under these agreements, IHG will conduct awareness campaigns in cooperation with local partners Ghor Al-Mazra’ah Club and JOHUD, educating unemployed youth about training and career opportunities available through the Academy. Interviews will be conducted with potential trainees so that 50 young men and women can be selected to start a 12-month training period. Trainees at the Academy will be instructed in food and beverage service, food production and housekeeping, as well as basic technical and industry-related soft skills, including basic English language and computer skills, so that they may obtain full-time employment at IHG Dead Sea Properties, which include Crowne Plaza Jordan Dead Sea Resort and Spa and Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea-Jordan.

Meanwhile, the USAID BEST project will extend its support by helping to fully equip the Academy, providing equipment for its computer labs as well as uniforms for trainers and trainees. In addition, the project will deploy seven administrative staff members and professional training advisors to assist in the daily oversight of the Academy’s training program and to design training materials for all offered courses.

 “We remain committed to do whatever is necessary to continuously develop our hotels, particularly those located in the vicinity of a tourist destination as iconic and world-renowned as the Dead Sea,” said Irsheidat. “Our community support initiatives form the cornerstone of our corporate social responsibility strategy, and we strive to utilize these initiatives to support the local community and the youth of Jordan, particularly in impoverished areas, by providing opportunities for training and employment.”

He added, "This initiative represents a successful model of partnerships that not only seek to contribute to the reduction of unemployment, but also support tourism in the Kingdom by preparing youth for employment in the sector. We shall continue to cooperate with various government agencies, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations that share our vision, and we appreciate the efforts made by all our partners to support the implementation of the IHG Dead Sea Hotels Training Academy."