InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced a global partnership with Junior Achievement Worldwide (JA), one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs, which focuses on preparing young people for future employment and entrepreneurship. The year-long partnership will support more than 750 young people as they gain skills and experience in hospitality in nine major markets around the world, including the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, France, Germany, UAE, Japan and China.

Yasmin Diamond, executive vice president of global corporate affairs at IHG commented: “We’re the first hospitality company working with JA to inspire hundreds of young people to experience careers in the industry.  Our partnership demonstrates the real variety of opportunities that a career in the sector can bring, and it reflects IHG’s promise to provide true hospitality for everyone.”

The announcement arrives ahead of 2019 United Nations World Tourism Day, themed this year around ‘tourism and jobs – a better future for all’.

Asheesh Advani, CEO of JA Worldwide said: “Just like IHG, JA is a global organisation in more than 100 countries, and this sets us up well for what will be an inspiring and fruitful partnership that helps create pathways to employability and job creation in the tourism sector.”

Working together with JA, IHG is developing a curriculum to run a hotel work experience event called IHG First Look, to provide young people typically aged 14-18 with the opportunity to receive hands-on experience working in a hotel. Combining classroom working and a practical hotel takeover, students will receive a close-up look at what a career in hospitality entails.