IHG Doubles Number of Academy Programmes to 600 in 60 Countries

InterContinental Hotels Group has opened its 600th IHG Academy programme, having doubled the number operating globally in the past year.

IHG opened over 300 programmes during 2014 alone, giving almost 6,700 new IHG Academy participants the opportunity to develop the skills needed to work in the hospitality industry.

Originally launched in China in 2006, IHG Academy is a collaboration between IHG hotels and local education providers and community organisations. It gives participants real-world experience working in the hospitality industry and allows IHG the opportunity to develop talented people to work in its hotels. The programme has continued to grow year on year and now spans almost 60 countries worldwide.

IHG’s 600th IHG Academy is situated at the Holiday Inn Express – Powless Guesthouse, near San Antonio, US. It is one of 10 programmes formed as part of a broader strategic collaboration between US non-profit-organisation Goodwill Industries International and IHG in North America. First announced in 2013, it complements several other relationships that IHG is developing globally to create job opportunities and improve employability in the hospitality industry. Two IHG Academy participants at the Holiday Inn Express Powless House hotel have already been offered jobs in the hotel working at the hotel’s front desk and in food and beverage.

Garry Dickover, Hotel Manager, Holiday Inn Express – Powless Guesthouse, said, “We’re delighted to have been named the 600th IHG Academy to open worldwide. Our programme gives participants the invaluable experience of working in a hotel and allows them to see first-hand what it takes to deliver Great Hotels Guests Love.”