On 6th May 2013, ten young people graduated from the Youth Career Initiative (YCI) Vietnam country programme. The graduation ceremony was held at the Hilton, celebrating the students completing six months of classroom-based and on-the-job training at the Hilton Hanoi Opera and the Sheraton Hanoi. The Hilton property joined the initiative last year and so was also celebrating its first YCI programme cycle.
Mr. Peter Simson, General Manager at the Hilton Hanoi Opera hotel said: “We fully support the Youth Career Initiative in creating employability for the country’s youth and we are honored to be a part of this important project in Vietnam.”
The ten participants, a group of 18-24 year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds, were trained in 12 different hotel areas covering a variety of departments such as the kitchen, pastry making, housekeeping, security, and other ancillary departments. In addition, the students participated in training workshops on life skills such as work readiness skills, health care, disease prevention, team-building, computer skills and English.
Alongside providing young people with much needed life skills, YCI is a great example of cross-sector collaboration. In addition to partnering with the hotel industry, YCI has a solid grounding in the local community sector. YCI’s local coordinating partner in Vietnam is the Business Office for Sustainable Development (SDforB), a non-profit organisation under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). SDforB’s aim is to direct the business community in Vietnam to sustainable practices. The non-profit organisation has supported two of YCI training cycles in Hanoi by sourcing students, coordinating the interview process with the participating hotels and also getting other likeminded organisations involved in the programme. YCI also worked closely with SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam who helped recruit students for this programme.
"Participating in this programme is one of the very good ways of giving opportunities to our young people, resulting in not only basic knowledge but also professional skills for their future life and career."
Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, Director of SDforB-VCCI, said: “Thanks to the training that has been conducted by the staff of the two hotels with close monitoring by SDforB’s staff as well as the complementary training from voluntary organisations such as SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam and Solidarites Jeunesses Vietnam, the trainees are equipped with the knowledge, computer skills and life skills needed to take part in a working environment with the quality standards of a 5-star hotel”.
During this second year of the programme in Hanoi, YCI has tested a project that has been developed with support from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons of the U.S Department of State. Through this pilot project, YCI was able to offer 20% of training places available to rehabilitated survivors of trafficking in order to help them reintegrate into society. The combination of continuous psychosocial support throughout the 6 months of training and the provision of life and work skills provides an excellent start for these young people trying to get their lives back.
One of the victims to participate in this YCI programme came from a Hanoi based shelter from a background of forced labour. During YCI, the participant showed aninterest in the work of the security department and so the shelteris supporting them in finding a placement in a similar position.
Job opportunities for the remaining participants is at this point looking very hopeful, with four participants already gaining employment at the two participating hotels.
YCI Vietnam was first piloted in 2010 at the Sheraton Hanoi, where seven participants from SOS Children’s Villages successfully completed the programme. Ms. Tran Thi Kim Dung, Deputy Director of SOS Children’s Villages of Vietnam, believed “Participating in this programme is one of the very good ways of giving opportunities to our young people, resulting in not only basic knowledge but also professional skills for their future life and career”.
Source: http://www.youthcareerinitiative.org
