By Dale J. Venturini
President & CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
For most businesspeople, it doesn’t come as a surprise to hear that the Hispanic community is the fastest growing segment of the Rhode Island economy. We’ve seen our business landscape become more diverse, as the number of Hispanic-owned and operated businesses in Rhode Island notably continued to rise. In fact, the number nearly doubled, jumping from 1,300 in 1992 to more than 2,200 in 2001. And yet, there is a factor that always acts as a barrier between skilled minorities and the businesses that want to employ them: the language barrier.
As one of the fastest growing populations in Rhode Island, the Hispanic community serves as a tremendous growth market. The hospitality and tourism industry recognizes this, and has consistently led the way in the promotion of a diverse workforce. Further, the industry employs a higher percentage of Hispanics—17 percent, to be exact—as compared to 12 percent for all other industries, according to the National Restaurant Association. But it hasn’t been easy. Foodservice businesses may be intimidated to recruit within the Hispanic community because of the language barrier, and Spanish-speaking workers often face obstacles obtaining executive level jobs, due to a lack of training programs offered in their native language.
In response to the growing number of Hispanic-owned and operated foodservice establishments in Rhode Island, as well as the increased demand for new and expanded bilingual programs, hospitality organizations have prepared several tools to encourage and enhance workforce diversity.
To help hospitality managers communicate with Spanish-speaking coworkers more clearly, the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance, a national industry association based in Providence, recently introduced its QuickVue© English to Spanish Workplace Language Guides. These guides are designed to assist management in the hospitality industry to carry simple conversations with Spanish-speaking employees, and include key words and phrases used most frequently within working environments.
An effective means of communication is the first step to breaking down cultural barriers, and actively interacting with non-English speaking communities. Recruiting hard-working Hispanic employees is much less difficult when you can speak their language. But, simply recruiting and hiring Spanish-speaking workers isn’t enough. Skilled Hispanic employees in the foodservice industry who are more than qualified for executive-level jobs are often held back because they do not speak English.
The Rhode Island Hospitality Association Education Foundation has responded to the need for Spanish-language educational programs, and now offers its ServSafe® Manager’s Food Sanitation Certification Class in Spanish. The ServSafe® program, nationally recognized by the National Restaurant Association, is the restaurant and foodservice industry’s preeminent food safety program. Furthermore, the two-day training program fulfills the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Sanitation Certification requirement for all foodservice licenses. Offering ServSafe® to Spanish-speaking persons employed in the industry not only expands the career opportunities available to Hispanics, but it also helps Spanish-speaking business owners in the foodservice industry obtain the certification required for their businesses with a lot less difficulty.
Our goal at the Rhode Island Hospitality Association Education Foundation is to encourage persons working in the foodservice and hospitality industries through education and learning opportunities. In order to remain successful, the hospitality industry must provide the proper training critical to retaining and promoting our skilled workers, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or spoken language.
President & CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
For most businesspeople, it doesn’t come as a surprise to hear that the Hispanic community is the fastest growing segment of the Rhode Island economy. We’ve seen our business landscape become more diverse, as the number of Hispanic-owned and operated businesses in Rhode Island notably continued to rise. In fact, the number nearly doubled, jumping from 1,300 in 1992 to more than 2,200 in 2001. And yet, there is a factor that always acts as a barrier between skilled minorities and the businesses that want to employ them: the language barrier.
As one of the fastest growing populations in Rhode Island, the Hispanic community serves as a tremendous growth market. The hospitality and tourism industry recognizes this, and has consistently led the way in the promotion of a diverse workforce. Further, the industry employs a higher percentage of Hispanics—17 percent, to be exact—as compared to 12 percent for all other industries, according to the National Restaurant Association. But it hasn’t been easy. Foodservice businesses may be intimidated to recruit within the Hispanic community because of the language barrier, and Spanish-speaking workers often face obstacles obtaining executive level jobs, due to a lack of training programs offered in their native language.
In response to the growing number of Hispanic-owned and operated foodservice establishments in Rhode Island, as well as the increased demand for new and expanded bilingual programs, hospitality organizations have prepared several tools to encourage and enhance workforce diversity.
To help hospitality managers communicate with Spanish-speaking coworkers more clearly, the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance, a national industry association based in Providence, recently introduced its QuickVue© English to Spanish Workplace Language Guides. These guides are designed to assist management in the hospitality industry to carry simple conversations with Spanish-speaking employees, and include key words and phrases used most frequently within working environments.
An effective means of communication is the first step to breaking down cultural barriers, and actively interacting with non-English speaking communities. Recruiting hard-working Hispanic employees is much less difficult when you can speak their language. But, simply recruiting and hiring Spanish-speaking workers isn’t enough. Skilled Hispanic employees in the foodservice industry who are more than qualified for executive-level jobs are often held back because they do not speak English.
The Rhode Island Hospitality Association Education Foundation has responded to the need for Spanish-language educational programs, and now offers its ServSafe® Manager’s Food Sanitation Certification Class in Spanish. The ServSafe® program, nationally recognized by the National Restaurant Association, is the restaurant and foodservice industry’s preeminent food safety program. Furthermore, the two-day training program fulfills the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Sanitation Certification requirement for all foodservice licenses. Offering ServSafe® to Spanish-speaking persons employed in the industry not only expands the career opportunities available to Hispanics, but it also helps Spanish-speaking business owners in the foodservice industry obtain the certification required for their businesses with a lot less difficulty.
Our goal at the Rhode Island Hospitality Association Education Foundation is to encourage persons working in the foodservice and hospitality industries through education and learning opportunities. In order to remain successful, the hospitality industry must provide the proper training critical to retaining and promoting our skilled workers, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or spoken language.
