Hands‑on hospitality training helps Edmonton newcomers pursue Canadian dream

Obse Rikitu taught chemistry in Ethiopia but only began pursuing her true passion when she participated in a hospitality employment program for newcomers to Canada.

Five months after arriving from Kenya's capital Nairobi in April, Rikitu, 29, graduated and scored a job with a major downtown hotel in Edmonton.

"I'm in love with my job. I'm excited every single day to see my days," says Rikitu, an aspiring hotel owner, who took a quick break from her housekeeping duties to speak with CBC News. I would like to say to the Multicultural Health Brokers – thank you so much. Because they gave me a great chance and also they gave me morale. They taught me within a short period of time how to catch the system of Canada."

The program, which includes English language learning, was launched by the Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative eight years ago. Partnering with major hotels, students get hands-on training in areas such as food safety, housekeeping and banquet service before four weeks of job shadowing.

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