Hospitality and Tourism Sector Center
About the Center
The Partnership’s Hospitality and Tourism Sector Center promotes the workforce system’s business services by delivering recruitment and retention services. It meets employer needs by offering recruiting, pre-screening, and employee training services. Job seekers interested in joining the sector can access industry-based training programs to earn credentials through employer partners and other services, like ChiServes.
The Hospitality and Tourism industries have customer service at their core; providing a product may attract a customer, but providing excellent service ensures customer loyalty and business longevity. Hospitality is a state of mind, where a positive attitude, and desire to help people, are as important as knowing how to operate a computer reservation system. The industry is renowned for its ability to foster personal and professional growth in their employees, regardless of background. In these industries, it is common to find hotel bellhops who became General Managers and waiters who became managers or restaurant owners. While these sectors were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, they continue to recover with more than 22,000 jobs added in Accommodations and Food Services in Cook County in 2021. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, (AHLA), hotel occupancy in the U.S. will increase from 44% to 52% in 2021, and further to 61% in 2022.
To reach The Partnership’s Hospitality and Tourism Sector Center directly, please contact the center at training@pyramid-pci.com.
To learn more, employers can contact The Partnership’s Hospitality and Tourism Sector Specialist Marion Batey at mbatey@chicookworks.org
