$1.8 Million Grant Boosts, Underwrites Apprenticeships In Foodservice And Hospitality

Hiring and retaining smart, motivated employees has never been more challenging in the foodservice industry. In a new initiative, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) has partnered with the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Jobs for the Future to create and implement a national Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship (HSRA) program for the foodservice and hotel and lodging industries. The collaborative effort was strengthened last week when NRAEF received an award of $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration, with an option to renew funding for a total of five years.

The HSRA initiative allows foodservice operators and hotel and lodging employers to recruit and place individuals in management-level paid apprenticeships, create new apprenticeship training regimens, and build on existing programs already in place. It’s one part of the DOL’s $20.4 million Apprenticeship USA Initiative supporting the growth of apprenticeship programs in high-growth industry sectors including hospitality, health care, energy, construction, transportation, and logistics and manufacturing.

A number of chain and hotel operators have already committed to recruit and place individuals in paid apprenticeships focused on management-level positions.

In 2016, the restaurant and foodservice industry is projected to comprise one million outlets and a workforce of 14.4 million employees, making it the nation’s second largest private sector employer. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org.