HCC Offering New Round of Free Hotel Job Training
HOLYOKE – Interested in jumpstarting a career in the hospitality industry? Holyoke Community College is running a free, seven-week hotel training program starting April 26.
The hands-on, in-person classes for hotel front-desk workers and hotel room attendants will take place in HCC’s hotel training lab on the second floor of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street in downtown Holyoke.
The program runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 5:30-8:30 p.m., April 26 through June 9.
The course will provide students with up-to-date knowledge of the hotel industry, hands-on experience for front desk and/or room attendant roles, workplace skills, resume building, interviewing, job search assistance, and connections to local employers.
HCC’s hotel lab was equipped using $35,000 from a 2019 Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant, which funds purchases for educational initiatives linked to workforce needs.
HCC ran its first round of free hotel industry training in February and March.
The lab is set up like a hotel reception area with a front desk and adjoining guest room and equipped with the most modern technology and software.
“The hotel lab gives students the ability to learn in a model hotel room and reception lobby, gain knowledge about key card access systems, and understand point-of-sale technology,” said Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services. “This is the kind of experiential training employers are asking for.”
No high school diploma or GED/HiSET test is required for admission.
Offered as part of HCC’s Business & Workforce Development division, the hotel training course is free to qualifying applicants.
For more information, contact Laura Smith, HCC job placement assistant and career development counselor, at [email protected] / (413) 552-2833, or fill out the inquiry form at hcc.edu/job-ready.
