About
Us | History & Mission | Our
Challenge | Facing the
Challenge
Facing
the Challenge
VIC aims to double the number of students
graduating from college and being placed in Management positions
in Hospitality,
Travel, and Tourism by using innovative approaches to address
education and job training challenges faced by the industry.
The first component is Outreach Education that will raise
the profile of the Hospitality Industry. The goal is to build
upon and expand our efforts to implement a city and county
wide Outreach Education Campaign that will help build a pipeline
of young workers capable of filling the workforce shortage
and equipping them with leadership skills to advance to middle
and upper management positions. The strategy will include
using television, radio advertising, and expanding our Internet-website
to reach and appeal to young workers. The website will be
redesigned to highlight careers in hospitality management,
travel and tourism, and culinary science. Students will be
used to create and design scenarios that will be of interest
to them and their peers, take self-assessment tools to help
them navigate through the multiple career lattices and ladders
in the industry, and create knew approaches to entering the
industry. This component will develop a branding strategy
to attract young listeners and viewers. We will use students
to create a new visual identity and key messages to reach
underrepresented youth who live in low income communities
in Miami, Florida. We would like to offer new ways to contextualize
and interpret Hospitality careers, education, and jobs to
engage youth ideas and to help them explore their questions
interactively. Staples funding will assist us with implementing
our Outreach Education Campaign plans to develop students
interests and use technology to reach them, teach them, train
them and inspire them. Our tool will includes Web sites,
Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) tours and resources, podcasts,
virtual environments, or others emerging technology that
utilize user-generated content, , and other digital components.
The goal is to enhance the project's content for youth and
the general public in ways that take unique advantage of
new and emerging technology.
Once these foundational communication elements
are in place we will be able to use effective communication
strategies and
materials to reach a larger audience of students and the public.
As a result our website will be able to showcase our students,
promote VIC Scholarship Program with our partnering colleges
and universities to promote post secondary education and employ
youth online. Using this approach we plan to reach at least 600,000
youth annually using our existing networks with the Academy of
Hospitality Schools that have combined more than 6000, middle
and high schools students and those attending alternative schools.
We will also work and partner with One Stop Career Centers, community
based organizations and link them to our websites and portals
to “ teach, train, and inspire." our target population.
The second component is Education and Training. Currently VIC
provides scholarships, training, internships and job placement
to youth who are interested in working in the Hospitality Industry.
Each semester students will be trained and exposed to the various
career ladders in Hospitality. Students will form a Youth Hospitality
Travel and Tourism Council (YHTTC) that will investigate career
opportunities that reflect the interest of their peers and will
serve as a liaison to the program staff in dealing with program,
policy, curriculum and employment procedures. The goal is to
attract and develop a pipeline of workers who will receive entry
level soft skill and leadership management training. VIC partners
in education and workforce development will provide job readiness
to prepare students for the industry and professional development.
The Youth Council will conduct and facilitate peer training
with students attending the Academy of Hospitality high school
career centers at John A. Ferguson, Miami Springs, Miami Beach,
Miami Norland, Miami Homestead, and Robert Morgan Educational
Center. Students who attend these schools gain school-to-work
experience in the local visitor industry. VIC along with other
industry partners supports the Academy through providing students
with internships, mentoring, job shadowing, in-service training,
Board service and in-kind contributions. Our partnership with
Florida International University School of Hospitality and Management,
Miami Dade College of Travel and Tourism and Johnson and Whale
University Culinary Sciences and Hotel Management will utilize
their expertise in post secondary education training, workforce
development, employment, research, and will assist us with identifying
and leveraging opportunities in various career industries.
The Youth Council will take the lead in
forming teams that will coordinate college tours, field trips
to local businesses, shadowing
opportunities, and identifying mentors for students. As a result
of serving on the YC, students will sharpen and enhance four
major leadership competency areas:
Research indicates these skills are pertinent
in an individual’s career success and they transcend
all industries. |
