AHLA, its foundation and ICHRIE form partnership to grow future workforce

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association formed a new partnership with the AHLA Foundation, and the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education to grow the future workforce of the hotel and hospitality industry.

As part of the collaboration, which came into effect on June 13, ICHRIE will distribute AHLA Foundation materials and facilitate access to its membership and communication channels. Besides, they will explore future opportunities to engage hospitality management faculty and students, an AHLA statement said.

AHLA will also recruit a larger workforce and promote hospitality career opportunities.

“We are thrilled to partner with ICHRIE and its outstanding deans, directors, program leaders and members of the major hospitality universities and schools, and work together on our shared mission to strengthen the hotel industry’s talent pipeline,” said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA. “As the global leader in hospitality and tourism education and research, ICHRIE will help maximize our reach to students and educators across the nation. Together, AHLA, the AHLA Foundation, and ICHRIE will ensure that all Americans preparing to the enter the workforce are aware of the multitude of great hospitality career opportunities available to them.”

AHLA’s chief operating officer will serve on ICHRIE’s new Industry Council to help facilitate relationships, and both AHLA and the AHLA Foundation will participate in ICHRIE’s 75th Anniversary Conference this August in Washington, D.C.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the broader leisure and hospitality industry was down more than 1.3 million jobs in May 2022 compared to before the pandemic.

A survey of AHLA members last month revealed that 97 percent of the members were understaffed, including 49 percent which face severe staff shortage.

“The strategic partnership between AHLA, AHLAF and ICHRIE is a game changer for the hospitality industry. It provides ideal opportunities to foster and engage in practice-oriented research, to share and promote best talent practices, to grow talent, to create a more diverse workforce with equal opportunities and to secure a steady flow of highly talented and educated students into the industry now and in the future,” said Dr Ralf Burbach, president, ICHRIE and head of Hospitality Management, Technological University Dublin.

“At a time when the hospitality and tourism industry worldwide is experiencing an unprecedented staff shortage, it is crucial that we find ways to combine the expertise in academia with that of the industry to overcome this huge challenge,” said Fran Brasseux, executive director, ICHRIE.

In the past five years, the AHLA Foundation has tripled its investment in hospitality career development programs, including spending $5 million on scholarships.

Earlier this year, it launched a national campaign to highlight the quality jobs and hundreds of career opportunities available in our industry.

“Our mission is to promote the many, and myriad career pathways available in our industry and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream,” said Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of the AHLA Foundation. “Hospitality schools are a critical component of our efforts to build the talent pipeline. We are excited to partner with ICHRIE to get our message out to even more people.”

ICHRIE’s membership includes more than 350 academic institutions representing more than 120,000 hospitality students worldwide.

Recently, the partner program of AHLA reached a record 27 members with the addition of six new partners.