MEDIATRACNET
To boost the country’s human capacity in the hospitality industry, 22 Hospitality Limited is to establish an academy to undertake the training of youths in skills development, to improve their chances of getting employment in the sector.
Head Corporate Affairs of the company, Lawal Taofeek, who disclosed this in Abuja said the academy would be a world standard facility that would undertake the skill sets developments of the youth in the industry in collaboration with the Federal Government.
22 Hospitality Limited recently acquired a majority stake in Capital Hotel Plc, owners of Abuja Sheraton Hotel in a landmark deal the owners said was “aimed at restoring the hotel to its past glory as the first choice hospitality destination in Abuja.”
Taofeek said the recent decision by the company to acquire Sheraton Hotels was also a strategic drive targeted at making the hotel carve a niche for itself, by becoming a leading hospitality firm offering premium services to customers in accordance with world standards
He said the proposed 22 Hospitality Limited Academy would also serve as an avenue to improve the skills of employees that would be reabsorbed following the shutdown of the hotel recently by Capital Hotel Plc for its needed rehabilitation.
The management of the new investor said with the consent of the Federal Government, the proposed academy, when operational, would reduce unemployment and create new sets of highly skilled manpower capable of competing favourably with others worldwide.
The company said enormous human and material resources would be invested in the Academy to make it stand out as a world standard organisation with the principal aim of manpower development in the sector.
22 Hospitality Limited explained that the initiative was borne out of the need to bridge the gap in global shortage of trained and experienced hospitality human resources.
The decision to establish the facility, Taofeek said, followed studies which came up statistics showing that there were currently more than one millions job vacancies in the industry as housekeepers, waiters, chefs, security personnel, IT and maintenance personnel in the hospitality industry .
“The products of the Academy could also seek international employment opportunities in view of the global dearth of the industry professionals,” he said.
22 Hospitality Limited assured Nigerians that the Academy would provide an army of employable Nigerian youths who would soon become game changers in manpower development in the industry. The feat would also assist government in tackling the unemployment challenge in the country,” Taofeek said.
About a week ago, the worker of the defunct Sheraton Hotel, Abuja staged a protest to demand their severance pay by the hotel managers , Marriot International.and other labour related issues.
The protest had forced the management of the hotel to announce the temporary closure of the hotel on Tuesday, October 18 ,2022.
The management blamed the closure on the bad state of the hotel, which it said was currently undergoing renovation, with only essential services being maintained.
Though the management did not reveal any specific date of reopening the hotel after the renovation and rehabilitation exercise.
It was gather d that the workers protest stemmed primarily from the alleged mismanagement of the hotel by Marriot International, and which resulted in the non-payment of the workers entitlements, including their agreed severance packages as well as issues bordering on safety standards.
Prior to the recent take over by the new owners, Sheraton Hotel was managed by Starwood/Marriott under various system license agreements with Capital Hotel Plc
