The Hospitality Sector, with the support of the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), is delighted to launch the first Hospitality Apprenticeship Week. Running from Monday 5th to Friday 9th August, this inaugural event aims to provide a fresh opportunity to celebrate apprenticeships in the sector and to bring the whole hospitality community together to showcase the positive differences that apprenticeships can make to individuals, to their employers and the wider economy and we would like as many businesses as possible to get involved.
The hospitality industry offers some of the most exciting, diverse and rewarding careers in the U.K. It is the 3rd largest sector, employing more than 3.2 million people across every community and it continues to grow. With forecasts identifying the need for an additional 1 million employees over the next two years, we need to consider how these new recruits will be sourced.
Coupled with this, the U.K. Government recently launched its first tourism-sector deal, designed to prepare the country for an expected increase of 9 million visitors per year. Part of the deal will support the creation of an additional 10,000 apprenticeships for people building careers in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
Hospitality Apprenticeship Week provides an ideal opportunity for employers to come together and engage with school and college leavers to showcase the variety of career opportunities available within the hospitality sector. One of the key focuses of this campaign is to shift the perception among young people and their parents that hospitality roles are limited to low paid, part-time jobs and to encourage them to recognise that apprenticeships provide multiple opportunities to forge a strong career path, involving a range of invaluable skills.
“There are increasing challenges in recruiting and an expected shortfall in labour, due to demographic changes, both in an ageing population resulting in fewer young people and migration. The industry recognises its responsibility to help improve the image of careers in hospitality and to invest in training and skills development. Apprenticeships are a key part of promoting hospitality as a career of choice and providing an alternative pathway into senior level roles, as well as entry level.”
Kate Nicholls
Chief Executive Officer, UKHospitality.
During campaign week, all activity will be driven through social media with links to the Employers and Apprentices pages of apprenticeships.gov.uk website. The campaign will sit under the main #FireItUp national apprenticeship campaign and will be driven by a steering group made up of leading hospitality businesses, independent industry authorities and charities.
There will be a theme for each day, including a focus on highlighting the benefits of apprenticeships and careers in hospitality and highlighting some of the exciting roles available like Chefs and supervisory & management. There will also be opportunities for stakeholders to utilise suggested content in order to highlight their own apprenticeship programmes.
In addition to the social media activity, the campaign will also feature interviews with senior hospitality leaders and showcase the stories of current and former apprentices who are now enjoying successful careers in the sector.
For more information on the campaign and to find supporting materials for you to use during the week please click here
