here - Tamarack CCI

Greater Vancouver Hotel Association
http://www.accc.ca/english/services/awards/accc/0405_recipients/program.htm
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (D TES) is widely known as the poorest postal code in Canada.
From the perspective of the tourism industry, the numbers of youth living on the streets is
perceived as having a damaging effect on the businesses, particularly in the hotel industry. A t
the same time, the tourism industry in BC is suffering from a serious labour shortage that is
likely to increase as the province gets closer to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler.
The large numbers of unemployed and homeless youth that have congregated in the D TES
represent an untapped labour force that is largely being ignored. In response to a challenge from
the Mayor of Vancouver, Larry Campbell, the Greater Vancouver Hotel Association (G V H A )
took the initiative to create a partnership that has had incredible success in meeting the mutual
needs of business and the community – the Stars 4 Success program.
Stars 4 Success is an innovative pilot project that blends job readiness training with exposure to
the hospitality industry, and is able to train students for employment in entry-level, front of the
house positions.
The strength of the Stars 4 Success program is the focus on partnership, utilizing the core
strengths of each sector. About twenty of the G V H A’s members signed on to the program. The
G V H A partnered with Covenant House, a privately funded non-profit that provides shelter,
food, clothing and counseling to youth-at-risk, as well as Vancouver Community College
(V C C). Covenant House provides shelter and life-skills counseling to the youth, while V C C
provides hospitality training. The federal government provides funding for an internship for
each participant, while hotels that sign on to the program commit to providing a permanent
employment opportunity in recognition of a successful internship.
Twenty homeless youth went through the program in its first year. Two years later 100% of
those youth remained off the streets.
The initial trial year of the project in 2004 was so successful it fueled a desire to find a
permanent home for the program. V C C lead the way and, in October 2004, opened a new
hospitality training facility. In January 2005, 40 former street youth started their training and
became full-time hospitality students. The Stars 4 Success program has won national awards for
innovative programs, and jurisdictions across the country are interested in replicating the
success of the program.
Collaborating with Business for Social Transformation
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