More than 500 young people at risk of social exclusion have been trained in the hospitality industry as part of a four-year programme titled “Creating Opportunities in the Hospitality Industry”, promoted by the  Mahou San Miguel Foundation, the latest edition of which has just ended.

According to this organisation, the goal is “to help young people with difficulties to find jobs through a training programme in the hospitality industry to provide participants with long-term professional prospects“. This is achieved through a number of actions aimed at “training waiters to stand out for the quality of the services offered” assisting them “throughout the process, from the beginning of the training programme until they find a job.”

This job training programme, which targets young people at risk of exclusion, combines theoretical and practical training, and is also seen as a means of further education that includes classes delivered by industry professionals, specialised courses, visits to the company’s production centres, and support for work experience.

In its first three editions, 340 young people at risk of exclusion in Madrid, Bilbao, Burgos and Barcelona received training through this initiative, and it has enabled 89% of them to find stable employment in the hospitality industry. It has also received the collaboration of more than 75 recognized catering establishments, numerous social entities, and the main schools of hospitality in the said four cities.

In this fourth edition, more than 150 students have received quality training at several catering schools. 102 In Madrid, 15 in Bilbao, Burgos and Barcelona and 10 more fellows in Granada.112 of them have completed the Professional Certificate at seven schools around the country, and another 37 have completed Dual Vocational Training in the Simone Ortega School in Madrid or are already receiving work experience training at various establishments. In addition, ten students from the La Inmaculada Hospitality School  in Granada have received scholarships to complete their vocational hospitality studies.

The application period for the ‘V Edition of Creamos Oportunidades‘, which will take place in the 2018-2019 school year, has begun in June for people who wish to take Dual Vocational Training studies and will open in September for those who wish to obtain the Professional Certificate.