The Rhode Island Hospitality Education Foundation was awarded with the Governor's Workforce Investment Board's Industry Partnership Grant. This grant was created to promote a partnership composed of employers, government agencies, associations and workforce agencies providing service, employment, training and education, and career development in the hospitality industry. Currently, the hospitality industry faces many challenges, including attracting and retaining entry-level staff, the development of supervisory staff, English proficiency, and the inability to access education for career advancement. This partnership seeks to provide entry-level employees with the opportunity to build their skills, access certification programs, increase their educational level for career advancement. Overall the partnership plans to find ways to increase retention and promotion in the workforce for the benefit of the industry.

Industry Partnership Grant Components Include:

1. Formalize working relationship with current partners
2. Recruit two additional board members
3. Create tangible visual portfolio of our success stories
4. Update Rhode Island Hospitality Education Foundation section of www.rihospitality.org website
5. Offer First Impressions: Exceptional Customer Service™ on a quarterly schedule
6. Conduct two Hospitality: The 3rd Language pilot program sessions
7. Develop the Golden Pineapple training recognition program
8. Develop the Grow Your Own initiative
9. Formalize partnership with Youth Centers
10. Develop a career awareness presentation
11. Launch a speakers bureau for youth initiatives
12. Develop a youth initiative measurement tool
13. Create the Hospitality Resource Directory for our Industry Partnership
14. Create “Dish room to Board room” campaign