Diageo (July 2015 – June 2016)

Given the importance of strong communication and interpersonal skills in the hospitality sector, as part of Diageo’s “Plan W – Empowering women through training” campaign in Asia Pacific, Diageo partnered with Kenan to create the Building Interpersonal Skills for Hospitality Workers – Vietnam Project. The project trained female hospitality workers on critical interpersonal and life skills, such as teamwork, problem-solving and communication, to improve performance and raise awareness about sexual harassment in the workplace.

Female workers make up the largest percentage of Vietnam’s hospitality sector and can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and discrimination. To remedy this situation, Kenan and Diageo collaborated with a number of luxury hotels in Hanoi to give women workers the knowledge and skills to identify and address workplace discrimination and harassment. With well-developed interpersonal skills, the women have improved their workplace performance, employability, and confidence.

From February – May 2016, the project conducted 20 training courses that benefitted 712 women from 12 hotels. Post-training evaluations showed marked improvements in interpersonal skills among participants, who are now applying these skills into their everyday life.