– Speaking before an engagedaudience of education professionals at the National Academy Foundation’s (NAF) annual conference known as NAF Next, Marriott’s Arne Sorenson talkedabout the opportunities awaiting students and the need for students to prepareto meet those opportunities.
Mr. Sorenson, who is theChief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc. was a featured speakerat the NAF conference which took place on July 9-12 in Washington, D.C. at the Wardman Park Marriott. Mr. Sorenson’s role as President and CEO includesoverseeing the global lodging company with more than 4,000 lodging propertiesin 70 countries and territories around the world.
Also headlining theconference along with Mr. Sorenson was Arne Duncan, the United States Secretaryof Education.
The event featured a“Roadmap to Impact” session in which Mr. Sorenson shared how Marriott develops maps to lead itself on a growth path. In conjunction with this, Mr. Sorensontalked about the need for educational programs like the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism which NAF developed to provide students with an inside look at aconstantly expanding industry.
In 2014 Courtyard byMarriott committed to partner with NAF over the next three years to support American youth as they prepare to enter the workforce or seek higher education.Collectively, their commitment will result in at least 10,000 additional careerdevelopment opportunities for NAF youth or their teachers over the next three years.
About the National Academy Foundation (NAF)
The National AcademyFoundation (NAF) is an acclaimed network of career-themed academies that opendoors for underserved high school students to viable careers. For more than 30years, NAF has refined a proven model that provides young people access toindustry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationshipswith business professionals. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes:finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. More than 4,600 business professionals volunteer inclassrooms, act as mentors, engage NAF students in paid internships, and serveon local advisory boards. During the 2012-13 school year 62,000 students attended 546 NAF academies across 39 states, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.In 2012, NAF academies reported 97% of seniors graduated.