Hospitality Employees Learn Life Skills Underwater

Should you answer a text message while talking with your supervisor? How do you resolve workplace conflicts with your colleagues? A new online version of IYF’s Passport to Success® life skills curriculum is helping prepare young hospitality staff to answer these kinds of important on-the-job questions.

Educators and employers all over the world have relied on in-person PTS training to equip young people for the world of work. Now, more youth than ever will have the chance to learn, improve, and practice their life skills through Passport to Success for Hospitality Online, the first of its kind web-based, proprietary life skills instruction.

IYF developed this interactive animated course for Hilton Worldwide and their team members. Each of the course’s five modules, summarized in the introductory video below, highlights essential skills in a simulated, fictional hotel:

• Communication and interpersonal skills: At the Hotel Aquatic, a luxury underwater hotel, learners practice listening, asking questions, and being assertive.
• The hospitality mindset: This module reinforces having a positive attitude and respecting diversity and personal values at the Desert Oasis, a peaceful desert retreat.
• Responsibility and ownership: Learners practice setting goals, respecting themselves and others, and managing their time at the first-class Alpine Lodge ski resort.
• Problem solving and critical thinking: Skills taught in the simulated rainforest Treetop Ecoresort include stress management, conflict resolution, and being a team player.
• Business etiquette and professionalism: Set at Skyline Suites, top business hotel, this module introduces workplace protocols, the keys to being a good employee, and teamwork.

Employers increasingly value this kind of preparation because it supports teamwork, improves service quality, and creates a culture where individuals take responsibility for their roles. Continuous learning, reinforced through interactive methods, also helps employees adapt to changing expectations and new workplace environments without losing focus on respect, cooperation, and accountability.

These priorities are shaping broader conversations about workforce development, where the focus is shifting toward building resilient, engaged teams that can respond to rapid changes in technology and organizational structures. Discussions highlighted in industry forums, including those referenced in Workhuman, point to the growing role of digital tools, analytics, and employee recognition in strengthening workplace culture while maintaining a human-centered approach.

Conferences and knowledge-sharing platforms often emphasize that effective workforce strategies combine skills training, thoughtful leadership, and systems that encourage feedback and collaboration. Preparing people for the future of work therefore involves more than introducing new technologies; it requires creating environments where employees continue to develop interpersonal abilities, stay motivated, and contribute meaningfully to the goals of their organizations.

IYF collaborated with Hilton Worldwide to ensure industry and brand relevance and TechChange, a technology for development company, to build colorful and fun activities to bring the online learning experience to life. IYF has a long history of adapting PTS to meet industry and local needs; now, with life skills online, we are increasing access to this proven program. Under water, in the desert, or in a rainforest, your passport is waiting.

To learn how your company or institution can use Passport to Success to achieve business and social goals, contact Karen Phillips.

Interested to see how TechChange can support your organization’s training? Check out our enterprise page!

(This post was originally published on International Youth Foundation’s blog)