JET Certified Builds Resumes & Relationships

Chelewa Springs grins with pride when she talks about her employees from the Goodwill JET Certified program. She knows each worker’s skill sets and talents; she brims with stories of their achievements. These are workers that in other circumstances may not shine. But with a little investment of time, Chelewa, the general manager of SpringHill Suites of Ocala, has created a community of hard work and camaraderie with program participants and her full-time staff alike.

“These young people are passionate and show up to work every day,” Chelewa said. “They’re invested in being here.” With COVID-19 bringing travel and tourism to a grinding halt, the JET (Job Education Training) Certified program should have had little chance of survival in the hospitality industry. The JET Certified program expanded upon the existing JET program by including a certification course alongside on-the-job training and mentorship for both adults and students, something they could have in their toolbox when they began applying for jobs. Last year, Derek Arnold, manager of community employment initiatives for Goodwill-Suncoast, was preparing himself to hear “no” from SpringHill Suites, a property of HDG Hotels. At most, he was expecting a “not now.” But what he got was “an emphatic yes,” he said.

Chelewa brought the program into reality. Despite the looming uncertainty of the pandemic last year, she wanted her hotel in the program.

In partnership, the JET Certified program launched in June 2020, and started a similar program in Citrus County at another HDG site.

Since then, 15 adults and two students entered this hospitality program in Ocala, and nine at the Citrus County location. Participants were able to get American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) Certification in Guest Services, and get experience in maintenance, front desk, laundry and housekeeping. In retail and food service, JET Certified has begun programs at Burlington and Blue Highway Pizza in Ocala, and Crumps Landing restaurant in Citrus County, with certifications appropriate for those industries. The pandemic helped the program in Ocala sprout. Because there was a lull in occupancy, it allowed Chelewa to spend time with both program participants and her own staff, making sure they were ready to mentor participants joining their team. She selected staff who were willing and able to spend the time to be a good mentor and take the time with each participant to help them learn and succeed.

“We place them with people they will learn from, and those who are open to doing it,” she said. The goal of the program is to help participants build a resume of their certification and skills to find a job after completion. But some of them didn’t have to look far for employment – Chelewa hired them at SpringHill Suites. “In one year, this was a success,” Derek said.