The Hospitality Training Academy (HTA) provides a variety of workforce development, apprenticeship and training programs to train low income, marginalized individuals for jobs in the hospitality industry.
We provide training specifically tailored to increase workers’ skills in a variety of areas, including:
Culinary for Cooks / Prep Cooks
Food and Cocktail Servers
Bartenders
Baristas
Bussers
Dishwashers
Hosts / Hostesses
Cashiers
Retail Sales
Housekeeping / Guest Room Attendants
Front of the Hotel / Front Desk Training
Our goal for workers:
Create a well trained workforce for the hospitality sector
Prevent disciplinary actions among workers
Create a healthier work environment by teaching safety, sanitation and ergonomic skills
Develop happy, productive workers who can perform all job functions and advance up career ladders
Our goal for employers:
Provide management with a well-trained workforce where every one takes pride in their work
Eliminate disciplinary problems
Assist employers in helping to grow their business by meeting their workforce needs
Specific instruction on upselling and maximizing customer sales opportunities
The Hospitality Training Academy (HTA) is a 501(c)(3) Taft-Hartley/labor-management partnership between UNITE HERE Local 11 and its contributing employers. UNITE HERE Local 11 represents 31,000 members and 160 hospitality and food service employers in Los Angeles and Orange counties and the State of Arizona.
Local 11 membership is incredibly diverse, comprising workers from many immigrant communities as well as high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian American workers. The members are predominantly women and people of color, and hail from all corners of the planet. Local 11 members work for employers who range the spectrum from hotels, airport concession companies, large event/sports venues, private universities, theme parks, restaurants, food service companies, corporate cafeterias, convention centers and casinos.
Over its relatively short history, HTA has developed a sizable resume within the arena of workforce development, offering a broad variety of training and career services, coupled with wrap-around support provided by HTA and numerous community partners. HTA management and staff are recognized experts in the hospitality industry. This is exemplified by the organization’s partnerships with the executive management of luxury hotels and large-scale food service enterprises, direct communication with labor representatives, extensive knowledge of the industry’s hiring requirements and success in establishing and maintaining a pipeline of qualified candidates for the hospitality industry in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
The HTA has federal/Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), state, county and local city funding to work with low-income jobseekers to assist with resumes, mock-interviewing, job/skill training, and then pipeline these clients into a union, hospitality job with good wages and benefits. Additionally, the HTA has government funding and Taft-Hartley dollars to train and “upskill” the current Local 11 workforce and provide ServSafe Food Certification and TiPs Safe Alcohol Service training on a regular basis. The Los Angeles County and City Workforce Development Boards (WDB) have designated the HTA to act as its “Hospitality Sector Intermediary” to analyze current trends in the hospitality industry, training needs, propose workforce solutions, and coordinate with the workforce development system and sector-based partnerships.
