February 2007
By Dale J. Venturini
President and CEO of the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
Each February, Americans await the fate of winter by watching a skittish creature known as the groundhog. If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, down he plunges into his home for another six weeks of winter. If not, we are welcomed with an early spring.
No matter what Phil does this February 2nd, hospitality leaders across Rhode Island will have shadows that day as hundreds of local high school students participate in Groundhog Job Shadow Day.
Groundhog Job Shadow Day started in 1997 as a one-day program to encourage young people to learn more about business and has grown into a yearlong program that encourages mentoring, education and job placement. Groundhog Job Shadow Day gives kids a chance to explore various careers beyond what their parents may do for a living. Job shadowing also provides an opportunity for students in at-risk situations to be exposed to career options they otherwise might not have the chance to explore. This year, more than one million students and 100,000 businesses will participate in Job Shadowing 2007.
The Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association is proud to once again partner with Junior Achievement of Rhode Island to promote career opportunities in the hospitality industry. This is the second year that Junior Achievement has chosen to spotlight the hospitality industry as one that offers a broad spectrum of career opportunities. As the second largest industry in Rhode Island, it is critical that our employers support mentoring and educational programs to encourage young people to consider a career in the hospitality industry.
A recent survey released by Junior Achievement indicates that American middle and high school students have unrealistic views of their future careers. Job shadowing is increasingly important for students because it acquaints them with the professional world through on-the-job experiences and a carefully crafted school curriculum that ties academics to the workplace throughout the year. In fact, according to the survey, one-third of students learned about career choices from job shadowing.
But Job Shadowing does more than offer young people the opportunity to experience different careers. Research has found that students who are mentored are 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking alcohol. A Proctor & Gamble study found that mentored students are more likely to stay in school (not one student in the study with a mentor dropped out of school), achieve better grades, and go on to college (86 percent went on to higher education).
Even though we celebrate and promote Groundhog Job Shadow Day on February 2nd, it shouldn’t end there. Mentoring is something we should do every day. It doesn’t have to take place through a structured program such as this. It can be as simple as mentoring a young employee who works after school and weekends. Encourage your managers to work with younger employees, find out what they are interested in and allow them to try different jobs in your company. The investment you make in your young employees today will continue to pay off for years to come.
But mentoring doesn’t only apply to young people. The Association’s Women in Hospitality and Tourism Council empowers professional women in the hospitality industry through leadership, networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities. What began four years ago with only 30 women has grown into a network of nearly 300. This council is made up of women in a variety of positions within the hospitality and tourism industry: business owners, sales and marketing professionals, event planners, caterers, and even some college internship students.
Young or old, just starting out or a seasoned professional, it is never too late to get involved with a mentoring program.
How to get involved:Job Shadowing 2007 is sponsored by a coalition that includes America’s Promise, Junior Achievement, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor. The National Title Sponsor is ING. For more information, log on to http://www.jobshadow.org/.
Women in Hospitality:The Women in Hospitality Council meets monthly to discuss a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to women in business. For more information on the schedule of meetings, please call the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association at 401-223-1120.
By Dale J. Venturini
President and CEO of the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
Each February, Americans await the fate of winter by watching a skittish creature known as the groundhog. If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, down he plunges into his home for another six weeks of winter. If not, we are welcomed with an early spring.
No matter what Phil does this February 2nd, hospitality leaders across Rhode Island will have shadows that day as hundreds of local high school students participate in Groundhog Job Shadow Day.
Groundhog Job Shadow Day started in 1997 as a one-day program to encourage young people to learn more about business and has grown into a yearlong program that encourages mentoring, education and job placement. Groundhog Job Shadow Day gives kids a chance to explore various careers beyond what their parents may do for a living. Job shadowing also provides an opportunity for students in at-risk situations to be exposed to career options they otherwise might not have the chance to explore. This year, more than one million students and 100,000 businesses will participate in Job Shadowing 2007.
The Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association is proud to once again partner with Junior Achievement of Rhode Island to promote career opportunities in the hospitality industry. This is the second year that Junior Achievement has chosen to spotlight the hospitality industry as one that offers a broad spectrum of career opportunities. As the second largest industry in Rhode Island, it is critical that our employers support mentoring and educational programs to encourage young people to consider a career in the hospitality industry.
A recent survey released by Junior Achievement indicates that American middle and high school students have unrealistic views of their future careers. Job shadowing is increasingly important for students because it acquaints them with the professional world through on-the-job experiences and a carefully crafted school curriculum that ties academics to the workplace throughout the year. In fact, according to the survey, one-third of students learned about career choices from job shadowing.
But Job Shadowing does more than offer young people the opportunity to experience different careers. Research has found that students who are mentored are 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking alcohol. A Proctor & Gamble study found that mentored students are more likely to stay in school (not one student in the study with a mentor dropped out of school), achieve better grades, and go on to college (86 percent went on to higher education).
Even though we celebrate and promote Groundhog Job Shadow Day on February 2nd, it shouldn’t end there. Mentoring is something we should do every day. It doesn’t have to take place through a structured program such as this. It can be as simple as mentoring a young employee who works after school and weekends. Encourage your managers to work with younger employees, find out what they are interested in and allow them to try different jobs in your company. The investment you make in your young employees today will continue to pay off for years to come.
But mentoring doesn’t only apply to young people. The Association’s Women in Hospitality and Tourism Council empowers professional women in the hospitality industry through leadership, networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities. What began four years ago with only 30 women has grown into a network of nearly 300. This council is made up of women in a variety of positions within the hospitality and tourism industry: business owners, sales and marketing professionals, event planners, caterers, and even some college internship students.
Young or old, just starting out or a seasoned professional, it is never too late to get involved with a mentoring program.
How to get involved:Job Shadowing 2007 is sponsored by a coalition that includes America’s Promise, Junior Achievement, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor. The National Title Sponsor is ING. For more information, log on to http://www.jobshadow.org/.
Women in Hospitality:The Women in Hospitality Council meets monthly to discuss a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to women in business. For more information on the schedule of meetings, please call the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association at 401-223-1120.
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