Hilton Worldwide held its first youth entrepreneurship training programme, Startup365, to address youth unemployment in China as part of its commitment to open doors for one million young people by 2019.
The innovative programme was delivered by T Foundation (China) and the International Youth Foundation, with funding and programme development support from Hilton Worldwide.
Delivered as a two-day training boot camp, Startup365 enabled participants to experience firsthand what it takes to conceptualize, start, and manage a business, as well as how to understand a market, differentiate a product and turn a profit.
?With over 74 million young people unemployed globally and more than 20 percent of university graduates in China unable to find jobs, young people today face an increasingly competitive and difficult work environment,? says Bruce McKenzie, senior vice president, operations, Greater China & Mongolia, Hilton Worldwide.
?In addition to direct employment in our hotels across China, Startup365 provides young people with the entrepreneurial skills needed to become future employers to support economic development in Guangzhou and then throughout the country.?
The two-month training brought together more than 150 young people who were selected through an open application process, and most participants came from under-served households in Guangzhou as well as Team Members from Hilton Worldwide hotels in Guangzhou.
Twenty-five mentors selected from the hotels? management teams supported the applicants during and after the boot camp.
?China is a key market for Hilton Worldwide, and we are committed to investing in and positively impacting young people in the communities that we operate in,? says Lawrence Lee, vice president, human resources, Greater China & Mongolia, Hilton Worldwide.
?The hospitality industry offers enormous opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship, and we are in a position to leverage our geographic scale and expertise, and innovative programmes such as Startup365, to support youth development and entrepreneurial thinking in China.?
Hilton trains young Chinese entrepreneurs
