Skills, Tasks and Results Training, or START, is a one-year (180-classroom hour) curriculum that provides students with the real-world knowledge and skills needed to begin a hospitality career. START provides training for positions in the rooms and food and beverage divisions of a lodging operation, including front desk, reservations, housekeeping, bell services, restaurant service, banquet setup and service, and more. Guest service, professionalism, and career exploration are also included in the program. 

The program also includes a voucher for EI�s line-level hospitality skills certification. START graduates who pass the exam and complete 90 days� employment in a line-level hospitality position are eligible to receive certification at no cost through this program. 

START is a workforce development initiative specifically designed to serve clients such as at-risk youth, welfare-to-work, dislocated workers, and other targeted groups. Students in the START program get on track to begin a career in lodging or continue their education with additional lodging educational programs. The program can also be used as a ninth- or tenth-grade introductory hospitality curriculum that prepares students for EI�s Lodging Management Program (LMP). 

Jeff Gerber, director of workforce development for the American Hotel & Lodging Association, noted that initial response to the START program has been positive. "One-stop career centers, as well as community and faith-based organizations, are excited about being able to offer this program to their clients. In fact, several areas have already made the decision to adopt the program," he said. "The hospitality field has so many possibilities for long-term career success, and START will put their clients on the right track to achieving their employment goals. In addition, hotels will benefit from a new source of qualified employees. It's a winner for everybody involved."

Gerber noted that jobs in the hospitality industry are expected to grow 26 percent by 2008, making it critical to build a pool of qualified entry-level workers who can advance quickly up the career ladder. 

For information on START, call EI at 407-999-8100 or visit EI�s web site at http://www.ei-ahla.org/start

Established in 1953 as a nonprofit educational foundation of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Educational Institute is the premier source for quality hospitality education, training, and professional certification, serving the needs and advancing the excellence of hospitality schools and industries worldwide.