Two young Springboard trainees played host to Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, in a meeting this week where they discussed their own experiences trying to find a job in the hospitality sector. Alongside this, they also discussed Springboard’s efforts to help the sector’s recovery amidst the ongoing pandemic and recruitment crisis.
Pedram Keshavarz, aged 24, and Precious Brann-Nicol, aged 18, both struggled to find jobs in the capital. But, after applying and taking part in the Diageo learning for Life Hospitality Sprint programme, delivered by Springboard in November 2021, they have now secured jobs in the hospitality industry.
Pedram and Precious met with the chancellor and Springboard’s CEO Chris Gamm this week at the launch of Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard, which is due to open in Autumn 2023 and be the southern hub of the Learning for Life programme.
Discussing his experience on the Diageo Learning for Life Hospitality Sprint course, Pedram said: “I found out about Springboard through my local job centre and was encouraged to register for the course after struggling for months to find suitable work. The course equipped me with so many valuable skills, including how to serve customers, and I particularly enjoyed learning about different types of drinks and cocktails. With the support of Springboard, I now have a job in a great bar in Camden, which I thoroughly enjoy. Having the opportunity to meet the chancellor and to tell him about my experience with Springboard was fantastic.”
Discussing meeting the chancellor, Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard, said: “It was a pleasure to meet the chancellor and to tell him more about the work we do at Springboard. He shares our confidence about the future of hospitality and its prospects, particularly for young people, and thanked us for the part we’ve played in preparing the sector for re-opening post pandemic.”
Commenting on hospitality’s ongoing recruitment issue, Chris Gamm said: “As we move out of the pandemic, with restrictions lifted and life returning to normal, it’s great to see the sector get major focus from the Government in their recent jobs, through the Way to Work initiative. As we prepare for the busy summer period ahead, it’s promising to see our sector is improving, and hospitality has shown resilience and perseverance.
“Our industry was facing a skills shortage pre-pandemic and COVID-19 has put even more strain on this problem. However, through initiatives like Springboard to 2022, CareerScope and Way to Work we are starting to see more applicants like Pedram and Precious secure places on training schemes and into jobs – which helps the recovery of our sector.”
The new Way to Wok initiative aims to secure jobs for half a million people by the end of June launches today which is part of ambitious government plans to turbo-charge our national recovery from COVID-19.
To find out more about CareerScope, visit https://careerscope.uk.net/
To find out more about the Government’s Way to Work initiative, visit https://jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk/
