PLANO, Texas - Aimbridge Hospitality, the leading, global, third-party hotel management company, has continued to prioritize the education of its future leaders, despite the unique challenges COVID-19 has presented through the AHLA Foundation's Lodging Manager Apprenticeship program. As a result, they have seen the largest class of apprentices to date, with 73 high performing candidates currently enrolled.

"Our 2021 AHLA Apprentice class is by far the largest in company history. These 73 hotel associates, representing a broad spectrum of our hotels across all eight verticals, or product categories, have tremendous leadership potential, and Aimbridge is committed to investing in their success," said Ann Christenson, Chief Human Resources Officer of Aimbridge Hospitality. "This program is also a testament to our Aimbridge General Managers, who commit time and energy to foster and mentor hospitality's future leaders. It's a worthy effort and a core part of our company culture and values to support an in-depth training program that will help our associates accelerate their hospitality careers with Aimbridge."

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) Foundation partnered with the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF) to create the first hospitality apprenticeship program, funded by The Department of Labor, to expand apprenticeship in the hospitality industry. The Lodging Manager apprenticeship program, which Aimbridge Hospitality participates in, provides an avenue for management companies to increase "bench strength" across the industry for supervisory and managerial positions and qualified candidates.

Rosanna Maietta, President of the AHLA Foundation added, "The hotel industry is in the business of people, serving our guests and providing lifelong careers for our employees. Apprentices in the AHLA Foundation program with Aimbridge Hospitality have the unique ability to fast-track their careers into management. The Lodging Manager apprenticeship program allows apprentices to earn competitive wages, gain new skills, have hands-on mentoring with company leaders, earn an industry-recognized certification and obtain college credit to further their education if they so choose - all at no cost to them. We are proud to have some of the brightest future leaders at Aimbridge Hospitality as part of the program and look forward to supporting their career journey every step of the way."

Apprentices, made up of some of the highest performing employees showing an aptitude for management, benefit from on-the-job training and related educational instruction and the ability to learn new skills while receiving paychecks from day one. In turn, the apprenticeship program benefits participating companies by creating highly skilled employees, raising productivity levels, opening the door to potential federal and local funding, and decreasing turnover rates, with roughly 94 percent of apprentices continuing employment with the company where they apprentice. While the program is self-paced, it usually takes apprentices about one year to complete while also working full-time at their respective hotels.

Aimbridge Hospitality

Aimbridge Hospitality is a leading global hospitality management company with a growing hotel portfolio representing more than 1,500 properties under contract in 20 countries. As a top hotel management company and trusted operator of over 80 lodging brands and distinctive luxury and lifestyle assets, Aimbridge leverages its scale and operational excellence to consistently deliver results for hotel owners and offer unparalleled opportunities for associates around the globe. Aimbridge adds value through focused, expertise-driven operating divisions in Full Service, Evolution Lifestyle, Enhanced Select Service, and Select Service, optimizing owners' investment returns and driving hotel market success. The Aimbridge EMEA Division has supporting offices across Europe in Amsterdam, Birmingham, and Glasgow. The Aimbridge LatAm Division has offices in Monterrey and Mexico City. Aimbridge Hospitality's global headquarters is based in Plano, Texas. To learn more, visit www.aimbridgehospitality.com. Connect with Aimbridge on LinkedIn.

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