Kerten Hospitality brings ‘Talent Tank’ to the Middle East

Specialist mixed-use operator Kerten Hospitality - known for challenging the industry with new concepts that combine innovative spaces for working, living and socialising - is expanding its Talent Tank Internship Programme to the Middle East as it prepares to open its first hotel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The programme - which is shortlisted in the 'Best Graduate Recruitment Programme' category at this week's Future Workplace Awards in Dubai - has been developed to provide career development for talented Gen Z-ers who are driven and share the same ethos to drive the company's innovation forward.

As Jorge Fernandez Ortega, Corporate Director of Operations at Kerten Hospitality, explains: "With new jobs being created in hospitality at an amazing rate - and as we ourselves are gearing up for a number of key openings in the Middle East - we are actively on the lookout for the best and the brightest hospitality talent.

"As a company that specialises in mixed-use and boutique brands, however, our needs and ways of working are very different to a more traditional hotel operation. We require an innovative mindset, operational agility and a pool of talent that quickly adapts and embraces new challenges and turns them into opportunities, all of which makes the Talent Tank Internship Programme increasingly important for us as we grow our global footprint."

To do this, Kerten Hospitality is working closely with leading local hospitality colleges across the GCC to inspire students to elevate their careers in hospitality and to add value to their academic programmes. Through immersion into the workplace, mentoring and one-on-one interactions, students are exposed to a wide range of projects, ranging from corporate organisation and preopening planning to hotel operations and sales & marketing strategy .

The Talent Tank delivers a unique training programme to budding hoteliers that comprises:

• Trust & Collaboration: Students will have direct exposure to strategic information and live projects, direct reporting lines to key senior roles within the company with a 24/7 open door policy and senior mentorship throughout the programme.
• Hands-On Experience: The company's flat business structure, complemented by the hands-on operational experience where interns become active members of focus or working groups, empowers students to help shape projects and become real game changers in hospitality.
• Mentorship: A series of "lunch and learns" workshops, team events and one-to-one mentoring sessions with a career coach help interns to develop their professional goals, enhance their skills and support general career development. Interns also work closely with Corporate Executives who give them real-life advice on career choices and best fit scenarios

The Talent Tank has been specifically designed to support both education and experience; to build leadership skills for young local talent and complement the continued emphasis that countries are placing on localisation programmes by team confidence, experience and preparedness to enter the workplace.

As Fernandez Ortega continues: "After six months, our interns have a strong foundation and critical viewpoint that is an important component of almost every business today, making them an asset for any company. The close connections they have made during their time with us is a great value when they wish to continue their careers with us, the door to opportunity is open as we expand into the Middle East and beyond."

If you want to be part of a dynamic team of disrupters and hoteliers and to get hands-on experience as part of our Talent Tank internship programme, send your CV to [email protected].