HospitalityMaine hires military veteran to lead workforce development
Courtesy / HospitalityMaine
Derek Fassett is HospitalityMaine's new director of education and workforce development, the third person to serve in the role.
U.S. Army veteran Derek Fassett has been named director of education and workforce development for HospitalityMaine, the Augusta-based nonprofit organization that recently released a five-year blueprint for tackling the industry's workforce woes.
Fassett, the former director of workforce for Military Talent Source LLC in Auburn, also worked as a specialist for the Maine Department of Labor’s Maine Apprenticeship Program.
A spokesperson for HospitalityMaine said that Fassett started his new role at the organization in September, succeeding Gwen Perry. He is the third person to serve in the position.
HospitalityMaine said Fassett will lead the organization's mission of expanding the pipeline of Maine hospitality workers through better education, training and statewide partnerships.
“During my military career, one of the things that helped me was my ability to track many project details simultaneously, whether that was live-time personnel movements across a war zone, or keeping track of millions of dollars of equipment,” said Fassett, who lives in Edgecomb. “That skill alone will be of great service when real-life practicality meets strategic planning.”
Fassett is preparing a comprehensive plan to execute the association’s recently released workforce development roadmap, dubbed "Dirigo Hospitality 2025."
The roadmap envisions an education and career pathway from primary to through adult education, and a long list of job training and workforce development and diversity strategies. They would include the creation of an "English for Hospitality" initiative in collaboration with Portland Adult Education or Southern Maine Community College.
Among other responsibilities, Fassett will work closely with the HospitalityMaine Education Foundation board to secure new funding sources and solutions to current workforce challenges.
“Derek will engage partnerships with community leaders all over Maine. Together they will help ease workforce challenges for the future,” said HospitalityMaine President Matt Lewis, who conducted a competitive search to fill the position.
Fassett served in the U.S. Army for close to a decade.
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