Phil is the Director of Operations for the Hospitality Workers Training Centre (HWTC). HWTC is a Toronto non-profit, sector-based workforce development organization, providing free, hands-on occupational training to people facing barriers to sustained employment. The training empowers people with the skills and supports needed to find a well-paying job in Toronto’s thriving hospitality industry. HWTC works with hotels and restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area to assist them in filling their recruitment needs. In this role, Phil oversees the operations of the organization, including the recruitment, selection, training, placement, and employment of participants. Phil has expertise in the areas of organizational development and people and change management. He began his career working in food service and restaurants and has worked in retail for Canada’s largest grocery store operator. In his spare time, Phil is a community volunteer, having served as president of a youth football club and as a community member on the Ajax Recreation Advisory Committee. He currently serves as a Board Member of Carea Community Health Centre and as a grant reviewer for the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Phil is a collaborator who is continually looking for opportunities to bring people and organizations together. Phil has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from York University in Toronto and has recently been awarded a Fellowship at the Aspen Institute, through its affiliation with the Metcalf Foundation and the Toronto Sector Skills Academy. Phil has three kids and resides in Ajax, Ontario.
Philip Johnson is a member of the Toronto Sector Skills Academy, Class of 2016-17, one of several Workforce Leadership Academies in localities across North America.
The Workforce Leadership Academies are part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.