Accor, the world’s largest hotel group and market leader in Europe, has won ‘Employer of the Year’ at the 2015 beating off strong competition at Mayor’s Fund for London Awards.
The awards celebrate organisations that have demonstrated initiative, enterprise, innovation and creativity, and shown an understanding to the improvement of employment opportunities for young Londoners. The Employer of the Year category specifically recognises the employer who can best demonstrate an understanding of the systemic problem of youth unemployment (16 – 24) in London, the needs of young people with regards to employment and the steps they have taken to reduce the effects.
Judges were impressed with Accor’s "Hospitality Futures" programme, which annually offers 25 unemployed people, aged 18-24, a starting job in the hospitality industry. The programme is a nine week initial course which includes five weeks of classroom training and on-the-job experience, with the aim of securing every participant a job at the end.
Philip Addison, Vice President Human Resources, Accor UK & Ireland: “We are very proud of our Hospitality Futures programme which is now in its third year and helps unemployed young people take their first steps into a career in our industry. Accor’s Hospitality Futures Programme has been successful in changing young employed people’s lives for the better and we’ve really seen positive effects on a group of people that others would normally overlook.”
The judging panel included David Montague, CBE, Chief Executive of L&Q Housing Association; Harvey McGrath, Deputy Chair of the London Enterprise Panel, Fiona Laffan, Managing Director and Head of Media Relations EMEA, at Goldman Sachs and Will Gore, Deputy Managing Editor of the London Evening Standard, working alongside Kim Chaplain, Director of Charitable Activities and Young London Working, and members of the Mayor’s Fund for London’s Youth Board.
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London said: “I applaud the efforts of all the organisations and individuals being recognised by these awards for their dynamic approach to youth employment in London.”