Marriott International to double its goal of providing career development opportunities to young people in Europe to 40,000 by 2020

Marriott Pledges to Offer 40,000 Career Development Opportunities to Young People By 2020

BETHESDA, Md., 2018-Oct-09 — /Travel PR News/ — Marriott International in Europe announced today (10/04/2018) that the company’s goal of providing career development opportunities to young people in Europe has been doubled to reach 40,000 by 2020. This pledge to provide career and training opportunities reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to ‘putting people first’ and follows the company’s growing footprint in Europe. Today’s announcement coincides with the start of Marriott’s annual You Eat, We Give fundraising campaign which aims to raise €400,000 for youth charities across Europe in 2018 in order to support more young people into independent lives and careers.

Since 2015 Marriott International in Europe has offered more than 22,000 training opportunities, in the form of work experience placements and apprenticeships, giving young people an invaluable first step into employment and exposure to an array of professional expertise and stimulating experiences. A further 10,000 young people have been hired directly into jobs with Marriott.

The 2020 goal sits at the heart of Marriott’s World of Opportunity initiative, an ambitious scheme to find and nurture the wealth of talent that currently lies untapped in 15-24 year olds throughout Europe.  Working in partnership with The Prince’s Trust in the UK and SOS Children’s Villages in the rest of Europe, Marriott’s World of Opportunity training courses develop both employment skills and “life skills” that help young adults from challenging backgrounds take their first step into work and independent living.  This initiative supports the company’s sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, and its commitment to Empower Through Opportunity.

“Hospitality presents so many opportunities for young people and World of Opportunity is an open door for them to gain top-quality training, confidence and invaluable life skills in a supportive and dynamic environment.” said Amy McPherson, President & Managing Director, Marriott International, Europe. “That is why we are so pleased to be able to strengthen our commitment to youth employment by extending training opportunities to even more young adults in Europe.”

Marriott’s World of Opportunity programme aims to help young people prepare to join the labour market regardless of background or level of experience.  Of the more than 22,000 training opportunities already created, 63% were taken by young people who were preparing for their first job and included recent university graduates joining Marriott’s Voyage programme, while 37% were taken by young people who had been unemployed or were not attending formal education programmes such as school, university or apprenticeships. In both cases the training was designed to help these young people prepare for work with core job and life skills.

A major initiative that contributes to Marriott’s fundraising efforts is its annual You Eat, We Give campaign that promises £1, €1 or the local equivalent for every lunch and dinner served at participating properties during September and October. In 2017, the campaign achieved a total of €365,000 bringing the total of funds raised since it launched in 2012 to more than €2 million.

Marriott’s aim is not just to employ talent within Europe but to help equip young people with the skills and confidence to make the move into work, whatever that might be.  Since 2015, it has provided young people nearly 1 million hours of work experience in more than 200 hotels across Europe.

Furthermore, Marriott’s commitment to youth employment extends to supporting charitable partners with cash and in-kind donations to support a variety of programmes and initiatives.  Since its World of Opportunity programme launched in 2012, more than €2.1 million cash and €1 million in-kind has been donated to its charitable partners along with more than 60,000 volunteer hours.

Marriott International, Inc.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,700 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 130 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.

About The Prince’s Trust
Youth charity The Prince’s Trust helps young people to develop the confidence and skills they need to realise their ambitions, so that they can live, learn and earn. Founded by The Prince of Wales in 1976, the charity supports 11 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed, struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Many of the young people helped by The Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, or have been in trouble with the law. The programmes offered by the charity give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education or training. The Trust has helped over 900,000 young people to date and supports over 100 more each day. Further information about The Prince’s Trust is available at princes-trust.org.uk or on 0800 842 842.

About SOS Children’s Villages
SOS Children’s Villages is an international, non-governmental organisation that provides services in the areas of care, education and health for children who have already lost or who are at risk of losing parental care. The organisation was founded in 1949 and today runs more than 2,300 programmes reaching more than a million children and adults in 134 countries and territories. Its work is guided by the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

SOS Children’s Villages adheres to the principle that every child grows best in a family environment, with loving parents or care-givers, living together with their siblings, in a place they can call home. SOS Children’s Villages works with communities, local partners and authorities to support disadvantaged families, thus preventing family breakdown.

SOS Children’s Villages also aims to influence decision-makers to make changes in policies and practices in order to promote the well-being of children, especially of those without parental care.

More information on SOS Children’s Villages can be found at www.sos-childrensvillages.org.

Media Contact:
Hemma Varma
Social Impact & Global Responsibility Europe
hemma.varma@marriott.com

Source: Marriott International, Inc.

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