B.C. will be getting an injection of hospitality workers thanks to a new partnership.
British Columbia Hotel Association has partnered with the Mexican Consulate on a pilot project that will bring 100 people from Mexico to work in the B.C. hospitality industry through a streamlined process. The labour initiative will address the province’s skilled worker shortage and provide Mexican employees a chance to enhance their training.
“The BCHA is strongly committed to delivering innovative and results-oriented solutions to support our industry’s workforce needs,” BCHA president and CEO Ingrid Jarrett said in a press release. “Following the overwhelming success of partnerships with the Consulate of Barbados and the Consulate of El Salvador, we enthusiastically celebrate another mutually beneficial partnership that will introduce a safe employment pathway for international workers.
“We have a longstanding appreciation for Mexico, its people and its rich culture. Above all we hold immense respect and appreciation for the Mexican workforce, whose contributions have historically played a vital role in our province’s thriving hospitality sector.”
Mexico’s National Employment Service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, in co-ordination with the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico, will find the workers, while BCHA’s workforce strategist, Alison Langford, will identify employers and placements. Individual contracts will be formalized between each employer and their selected candidate, with workers receiving on the job training and adequate housing.
“Together, we celebrate this partnership between the Consulate of Mexico and the B.C. Hotel Association that will empower Mexican workers through valuable international training opportunities,” Consul General Berenice Diaz Ceballos said. “The activities Mexican workers will engage in during their contract period at diverse workplaces will not only enhance their skills and qualifications but also strengthen their employability in Mexico.
“By gaining higher technical knowledge, language proficiency and enriched work profiles, they will be equipped with the tools to seize new opportunities upon their return.”
