At IHG, our commitment to help and care for people comes naturally to a business which stands for providing True Hospitality for everyone. With 5,900 hotels in over 100 countries, we are proud to be at the heart of local communities and recognise the opportunity we have to make a real difference to others.
Hospitality is a special place. It’s an industry where difference is sought after and celebrated; whether that’s cultures, experiences, people or places – and we want to open doors for everyone by creating opportunities to build hospitality skills and education that can change lives for the better.
Through our IHG Academy programme we offer early careers opportunities in our offices and hotels all around the world. We understand that for some there may be additional barriers to employment so we work with NGOs on the ground who are supporting people into employment and provide hospitality skills training and experiences as part of their efforts.
In September 2019 we formed a partnership with JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide. This partnership allows us to support young people entering the hospitality industry through a series of practical activities. Together, our ‘First Look’ utilised a curriculum developed by IHG to run a hotel takeover and work experience sessions for high school students around the world. These events aimed to inspire young people about the career paths available to them in hospitality, as well as build confidence and employability skills.
Building on the First Look experience, we then launched a series of ‘Innovation Camps’ where students come together to innovate and solve for a sustainability-based problem core to the hospitality industry. In teams, the students have been challenged to think creatively to come up with sustainable solutions to real world problems that can be implemented in hotels around the globe.
Through our NGO partnerships and our IHG Academy programme, we’re proud to support and inspire people from all walks of life as they build their employability for their future.