In collaboration with Cambodia's National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (NIEI), the newest international branded luxury hotel in Cambodia's capital is nurturing the future generation of Khmer hospitality personnel.
Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the NIEI. As part of the two-year agreement, the hotel will offer resources, workshops, training, and technical and curriculum consultation to NIEI to develop candidates. It will also provide internships to NIEI students to help them upskill in key areas of hospitality.
"One of Cambodia's most potent attributes is the natural hospitality of its people," said Juan Mercadante, the general manager of Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh. "By refining skills through internships at our hotel, we can really maximise this human capital and offer these students invaluable experience and opportunities to grow their careers."
The Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh and NIEI partnership is aligned with the Hyatt RiseHY initiative. RiseHY is a new international programme devised to pair the hospitality industry's career opportunities with young people who need them. The initiative sees Hyatt hotels worldwide employing 10,000 Opportunity Youth – people between ages 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working – by 2025.
Currently, more than 40 percent of young people across the globe are unemployed or living in poverty, according to the International Labour Organisation.
"We understand young people's challenges, and Hyatt hotels are uniquely positioned to be part of the solution. Hospitality is one of the few industries where entry-level opportunities often lead to fulfilling, life-long careers that can change the trajectory of someone's life," said Malaika Myers, chief human resources officer, Hyatt. "With the launch of RiseHY, Hyatt hotels will harness the power of technology in ways our industry has never done before, to scale career opportunities, bringing awareness to hospitality careers and setting up candidates for success from the start as it expands training programs as a path for employment."
