THE BRITISH HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION (BHA) will announce that the UK’s hospitality and tourism industries will create over 30,000 new job opportunities for young people by 2015. The BHA will inform Mark Hoban MP, Minister of State for Employment of the pledge as it hosts its annual Summit at the InterContinental London Park Lane on Tuesday 11 June, 2013.
The job opportunities are 14,832 permanent roles, 11,103 apprenticeships, and 5,157 paid university work placements and this announcement is made in addition to those jobs already previously outlined by the contributing companies.
The Hospitality industry employs 10% of the national workforce and the BHA has coordinated the industry’s biggest job creation drive which aims to offer opportunities to unemployed young people in the UK. Hospitality is uniquely suited to getting young people on the first rung of a rewarding career ladder.
The pledges have been made at a series of nine Big Hospitality Conversation events which have taken place over the last 12 months across the UK from Scotland to the South West. Over 1,200 industry representatives attended these events and made job opportunity pledges including the largest hospitality organisations in the UK such as Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, Accor, Hilton, Compass UK, Sodexo, Marriot, Bartlett Mitchell, BaxterStorey, SSP UK; small hotels, restaurants and catering organisations as well as the most prestigious names such as The Ritz, The Goring, Le Manoir aux Quait’ Saisons, The Savoy, and Belfry Hotel.
Mark Hoban, Employment Minister said: “The collaboration between Jobcentre Plus and the British Hospitality Association has been extremely successful, and it’s fantastic to see the industry come together today with a further pledge to create 30,000 opportunities for young people.
“The hospitality industry provides a diverse range of career prospects for people of all ages, but particularly for young people who are starting out and still exploring what career path they would like to take. I’d encourage young people to seize these opportunities.”
Patrick Dempsey OBE, managing director of Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, who is a driving force behind the campaign, has come forward with a clear call to action and says, “The industry has very many job vacancies for young people and the unemployed. The hospitality industry can give you a rewarding and meaningful career; if only more young people realised this.”
Social sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in the hospitality, leisure and foodservice industries. This was reflected also with the new Social Impact and Diversity category at the Footprint Awards; this year won by Pret. At the end of their first day’s trading in 1986 they donated their leftover food to people sleeping rough nearby. This was the start of an enduring commitment to homeless people, with the Pret Foundation Trust donating around £800,000 annually for homelessness projects and investing in employment opportunities in the business.
Employment and apprenticeships as part of the social sustainability agenda is set to continue. Read Footprint’s Next Green Thing: Apprenticeships analysis.
