Photo By Porsha Auzenne | From left: Daniel Bartlett, Owen Todd, Ray Robinson, Fort Johnson IHG Army Hotels...... read more read more
FORT JOHNSON, La. — Four teens from the Fort Johnson community recently interned in the Intercontinental Hotel Group’s Teen Academy summer internship training program. The curriculum allows children of IHG employees to experience working in the hospitality industry while earning money through seasonal employment.
Established in 2016 during an IHG Army Hotels leadership meeting at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, the program aims to ignite interest in youth seeking future career opportunities in the hospitality industry. As one of the largest hotel companies in the world, the academy also emphasizes improving work skills, creating job opportunities, providing supplemental labor for hotels in need during the summer months and building a workforce and community around the local talent young interns bring.
Teenagers are trained to work as laundry assistants, housekeepers and breakfast attendants.
Ray Robinson, general manager of IHG Army Hotels on Fort Johnson, said he wished there had been a similar program when he was a kid.
“We organize it to where kids go through an actual interview,” Robinson said. “They’re even sent questions beforehand to test their preparation.”
Robinson said the IHG Teen Academy program gives the youth a full spectrum of work life.
“My favorite aspect about the onboarding process is seeing kids, who’ve never had jobs, come prepared for their interview,” he said. “Once they’re onboarded, we’re able to spark their interest and find what their creativity is like. From there, employees of IHG become mentors as we hone their skills.”
Robinson said he loved seeing the student’s passion for learning the hotel trade.
“At other places, we’ve had people in the IHG Teen Academy Program who are now full-time staff members,” he said, highlighting the success of the internship.
Owen Todd and John Diaz Miranda were two of the students selected for the academy.
“They make you feel so welcome here, like a family,” Todd said. “It was a great experience and I hope I return next year.”
Diaz Miranda’s reaction echoed Todd’s, adding he enjoyed getting his first paycheck and getting to work in Fort Johnson’s IHG hotels during the summer.
The duo said duties included laundry, trash maintenance and assisting housekeeping.
Upon completion of the summer internship, IHG of Fort Johnson held a graduation ceremony and luncheon for the interns and their families.
The IHG Teen Academy is slated to return to Fort Johnson in 2025. Additional updates will be provided when application submissions open in May.
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.27.2024 13:40 |
| Story ID: | 479549 |
| Location: | LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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