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We must show that hospitality is a career of choice


There are some very talented young hospitality professionals out there, and as an industry we need to work together to capture their attention and show them the wide range of rewarding opportunities that our industry can offer. There is much talk about the hospitality skills shortage and the effect Brexit may have on this,


but we most also take note of the UK’s Department for Work & Pensions projection that over the next 10 years the number of job vacancies in the UK will reach 13.5 million. With only seven million young people predicted to be leaving school and joining the workforce at the same time, there will be a shortfall in the number of workers in the UK, or what is more commonly referred to as a skills gap. The Think Again campaign comes at the right time. We need to join together and showcase the


hospitality industry as a career of choice, and we need to make the roles within the industry more attractive as a long-term career option. As a large employer in the foodservice industry, we recognise the need to attract the younger


generation into our industry, but we also recognise the benefits to be had in retaining skilled workers. We have to make sure they remain engaged and are given the necessary training and development opportunities to allow them to thrive and create a career in an industry they want to stay in. In summary, we believe that through initiatives such the Think Again campaign, as well as the


great work the Springboard charity carries out through its FutureChef competition and Big Hospitality Conversation events, employers such as ourselves can highlight the positives of working in this fantastic industry, shorten the skills gap, and tap into the diverse spectrum of talent out there.


Rachel Jones Head of resourcing, Sodexo UK and Ireland


What is the


Think Again campaign?


Here at The Caterer we know just what a rewarding field this sector can be when it comes to developing a successful and fulfilling career, and yet operators still face a challenge recruiting the right staff into the right positions and in the right volume. A recent report by hospitality skills and workforce development charity People 1st estimated that the sector still needs 1.3 million staff by 2025. Meanwhile, 21% of hospitality and tourism businesses claim that staff lack essential skills. It’s an acute problem, and has never been so relevant at a time when one of the potential impacts of Brexit is that staff are yet harder to come by, with the possibility that freedom of EU migrants could, in the future, be restricted. Nonetheless, Brexit also presents a great opportunity – because if there were ever a time


to get truly serious about encouraging young people to engage in hospitality, to upskill the existing workforce and to make inroads into improving staff retention, then surely the time is now. Back in 2012, The Caterer launched the Think Again campaign. The idea was to highlight the


many excellent opportunities on offer in hotels, restaurants, foodservice firms and pubs up and down the UK. We championed the hospitality sector as a credible route to career success and happiness, having witnessed thousands of examples of just that over our many years of reporting in the sector. Now, five years on, we have decided it is time once again to inspire tomorrow’s professionals


by relaunching Think Again at a critical time for the industry, and we were delighted that Sodexo joined us as a campaign partner. Our Think Again campaign offers guidance to operators on how best to engage with their local


community to promote hospitality as a career of choice, as well as casting a light on the many ways of promoting the industry, from the Big Conversation to Adopt-a-School; and from apprenticeships to work experience. And it challenges operators to pledge to adopt a local secondary school or college.


Neil Gerrard Associate editor, The Caterer


www.thecaterer.com


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