Washington, DC, Nov. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Starting Monday, November 12th, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) will spotlight the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) fourth annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW). The week highlights the benefits of apprenticeship in preparing a highly-skilled workforce to meet the talent demands of employers across a variety of industries – including restaurants and hospitality.
The NRAEF will showcase the stories of those impacted by the nation’s first Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship (HSRA), an earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship program created for the nation’s restaurant, foodservice and lodging industries.
With over 1,000 committed apprentices and a 97 percent program retention rate, the NRAEF and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) are currently implementing the program through a multi-year contract from the U.S. Department of Labor. The NRAEF’s restaurant management apprentices are working in 44 states at over 300 different apprenticeship sites. Eighty percent of restaurant management apprentices are existing employees.
“We are incredibly proud of how far we’ve come with our apprenticeship program in the past two years,” said Rob Gifford, executive vice president of the NRAEF. “The program has proved successful for employers of all sizes, has expanded our impact in the workforce development space and most importantly, is working to change the lives of employees for the better.”
The NRAEF will celebrate NAW by highlighting a variety of apprentices, employers and community partners who support and implement the program on the ground, such as Cassidy Hubbard, the nation’s first restaurant management apprentice.
To learn more about how you can get involved, visit ChooseRestaurants.org/Apprenticeship.
Click here to view the animated video on how the hospitality apprenticeship program works.
Click here to find a National Apprenticeship Week event near you.
About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the industry’s training and education, career development and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower and Advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready – partnering with community based organizations to provide “opportunity youth” with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and, the Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship Project – a partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association providing a hospitality apprenticeship program for the industry. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org.
About the American Hotel & Lodging Association:
Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the 8 million jobs the U.S. lodging industry supports, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, bed and breakfasts, state hotel associations, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry that advances long-term career opportunities for employees, invests in local communities across the country and hosts more than one billion guests’ stays in American hotels every year. AHLA proudly represents a dynamic hotel industry of more than 54,000 properties that supports $1.1 trillion in U.S. sales and contributes nearly $170 billion to the U.S. economy. Learn more at www.AHLA.com.
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