Ahla Foundation Inc

Programs: Scholarships: ah&lef awarded academic scholarships to 372 promising hospitality management students attending 101 colleges and universities across the country. Additionally, 10 hotel employees received professional development scholarships for certification and distance learning. Ten scholarship recipients were selected to attend the 2017 lodging conference to network with industry leaders and learn about important industry issues.

research and project funding program: seven grants were awarded in 2017 to educate the public in areas such as lodging tax rates, the impact hotels have on the economy, and short-tern online rentals. The following is a complete list:- economic impact of the u. S. Hotel industry - interactive food waste management for hotels - hospitality inter-cultural communication- interim update to the economic significance of meetings study - hotel property tax analysis - women in hospitality leadership- impact of potential tax reform on the u. S. Lodging industry

apprenticeship: in 2016, ah&la was awarded a contract from the department of labor (dol) to expand apprenticeship programs in high growth industries throughout the united states. Ah&la's commitment to the dol includes enrolling 2,250 apprentices in the hospitality industry over the next five years. This ah&la initiative is being administered through the foundation, and ah&lef staff members have been working closely with employers across the country to champion these goals. In 2017, the staff of ah&lef successfully created and registered an apprenticeship program for the occupation of lodging manager with the us department of labor and garnered commitments of over 400 apprentices from leading hotels across the country. The purpose of the program is to provide an accelerated path to management for the industry's workforce, and provide a structured training program to help new and current hotel employees secure these supervisory positions.

empowering youth project: in partnership with ah&la, ah&lef made a commitment to provide $500,000 in grants to help community-based organizations recruit and develop "opportunity youth" for careers in the hospitality industry. Currently, six million opportunity youth are between the ages of 16 to 24, and out of school and out of work. Ah&lef is implementing this work by partnering with grads of life, the nationally recognized leader in connecting employers to opportunity youth. These grants will benefit 1,000 young people over two years in high-demand markets, such as washington d. C. , los angeles, chicago and baltimore.