New hospitality training academy at Dead Sea launched

AMMAN — A training academy was launched at the Dead Sea on Monday to address challenges faced by local communities within the Jordan Valley area in finding employment in the hospitality industry, the project’s stakeholders said in a statement. 

During the first year, the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Dead Sea Hotels Training Academy will equip 50 people from the local community with a range of hospitality skills, after which they will be employed at hotels within the Dead Sea area, the statement said.

The IHG Dead Sea Hotels, in partnership with USAID, launched the academy during a ceremony held under the Patronage of HRH Princess Basma. 

“This new hospitality academy presents a fantastic opportunity for the area’s communities and its hotels,” the statement quoted US Ambassador Alice G. Wells as saying. 

“Not only will this initiative provide employment to 50 people from the area within a year, but it will also act as a pilot programme that other hotels in the area could potentially adopt, thus further boosting development of skills and recruitment from the local communities,” Wells added.

The 50 trainees will undergo food and beverage service, food production and housekeeping department training. Each trainee will then select one path for their career and will be employed at one of the IHG Dead Sea hotels upon completing their year-long training.

The academy will be based within IHG’s Dead Sea Hotels. The main training centre will be based at Crowne Plaza Jordan Dead Sea Resort & Spa while the outreach centre will be at the Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea, the statement said. 

USAID’s support includes providing an IT learning laboratory for the trainees. USAID’s Building Economic Sustainability through Tourism project will also deploy administrative staff and professional training advisers to design training materials for all courses provided by the academy and to oversee the training programme on a daily basis.