In an effort to support the 8 million hotel industry employees affected by the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus health crisis, the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation, the charitable giving arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, has announced free resources to help industry employees continue their education during this difficult time.
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As part of the AHLA’s Hospitality for Hope Initiative, the foundation will provide:
- Free hospitality management online courses
- Professional development scholarships for AHLA certifications
- Continuing education online programs (English as a second language, GED diploma and associate degree college courses)
In this time when travel has virtually come to a halt and many employers have had to furlough their team members, ongoing learning opportunities can keep employees connected to the job. The foundation has underwritten funding to provide the top three online manager trainings at no cost to all lodging employees in the U.S.:
- Supervisory Skills Builders,
- Hospitality Manager: Leadership, and
- Certified Hotel Administrator review course
The courses are provided through the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute and will be made available April 1-30.
“With nearly 4 million hotel workers losing their jobs because of this public-health crisis, the AHLA Foundation aims to provide free opportunities to help employees advance their skills and education so that when we all get back to work, they are one step ahead,” said Rosanna Maietta, president of the AHLA Foundation and AHLA EVP. “Our people are our greatest resource, and in their time of need, we want to do all we can to support them with free education and certification opportunities.”
In addition to the AHLEI managerial courses, the foundation is offering professional development scholarships to cover the cost of the AHLA's portfolio of professional certifications, allowing individuals to grow their industry knowledge, enhance their professional skills and receive industry recognition.
Additionally, the foundation is providing scholarship funds to support continuing education for employees seeking attainment in English as a second language, high school diploma equivalency via the GED diploma, and associate degree college courses that can all be done online through Pearson AcceleratED.
Information on the free training courses, professional development scholarships and continuing education offerings can be found at www.ahlafoundation.org.