Back Hospitality to Solve NEETS Crisis, Sector’s Rising Stars Urge Government

The current generation of leading lights across hospitality have urged the Government to back the sector to create jobs and help solve the NEETs crisis, providing the career and development opportunities they themselves have benefitted from.

In a joint statement, they call hospitality the ‘ultimate meritocracy’ that provides ‘incredible opportunities’, but they warn how cost challenges are impacting those same opportunities they have experienced themselves.

Together, the group are shining examples of how hospitality develops jobs and careers for young people. They are collectively supporting UKHospitality’s ask for the Government to reduce employer NICs to reduce employment costs and support the sector creating jobs in every postcode.

Among the signatories are clear examples of how hospitality supports careers for young people:

• Liberty Chrystall, 23, became the General Manager of The Railway pub on the Wirral at just 21-years-old and has overseen a six-figure investment in her pub.
• Ella Jackaman, 22, manages the ICE Restaurant in Bury St Edmunds, having started her hospitality career as a kitchen porter when she was a ‘shy teenager’. After completing her law degree, she chose to return to her passion of hospitality.
• Harry Bourne, 29, is an Operations Manager at Punch Pubs, supporting around 40 pubs across the East Midlands, to help them build successful businesses and deliver great pub experiences. He called the decision to join hospitality at 16 as a ‘no-brainer’.
• Immie Hearson, 25, joined Alton Towers for a summer job when she was 19 and now works as a Resource Associate in its HR team supporting recruitment and employee relations for one of the UK’s leading visitor attractions.
• Bethany Stevens, 28, is the Head of Department for Leisure at Butlin’s Bognor Regis, having joined the company at 16 as a funfair team member. Now, she coaches and develops leaders across the resort’s leisure team, including its £15 million indoor activity centre.
• Szymon Kantor, 24, started his career in hospitality as a food runner in fine dining, starting with zero experience. Five years later, he has progressed to become an Assistant Manager for one of Franco Manca’s restaurants.
• Rabee Bond, 24, is Hilton’s Food & Beverage Assistant Manager, working his way through assistant, team leader and supervisor roles since joining the company at 17.
• Sarah Szczur, 29, entered the sector as a bar supervisor and has progressed through restaurant management, including developing her own team as an Assistant Manager for Franco Manca.

The joint statement says: “Hospitality has been a sector of opportunity for us all. The opportunity for a first job, the opportunity to learn new skills, and the opportunity to develop a hugely rewarding career.

“There is no other sector like hospitality. It is the ultimate meritocracy that rewards hard work, creativity, drive and, frankly, people who want to get things done.

“We’re all about amazing teams delivering amazing experiences, supported by people from all walks of life. From school leavers and non-graduates to people changing career or looking for a way back into work.

“We all count ourselves lucky to have started working in hospitality early in our lives. We have been afforded incredible opportunities to progress and take our careers in all sorts of directions.

“But we see firsthand the cost challenges hospitality is facing and how that’s impacting the roles available for young people. We all want young people today to have the same opportunities we did but we have to be honest, they are becoming few and far between.

“Prime Minister: hospitality will help you solve the NEETs crisis, if you just give the incredible businesses in our sector some breathing space to do what we do best.

“Back us. Back hospitality to create jobs in every postcode. We will deliver, and we will make sure the next generation doesn’t turn into the lost generation.”

Figures from sector body UKHospitality, show that a third of all first jobs for under-25s are in hospitality but these are under threat from soaring employment costs, which are preventing operators investing in growth and job creation.

Hospitality is a proven youth employment powerhouse, providing around 300,000 job starts for 16-24-year-olds every year, according to ONS data. It accounts for 31% of all first jobs for 16-to-24-year-olds and employs around a fifth (18.2%) of all young people in work.