Hundreds of jobs, apprenticeships and work experience placements have been pledged to attract more young people into the hospitality industry.
More than 40 industry leaders attended a unique forum at City of Bath College to meet the young people keen to start a career with them.
The Big Hospitality Conversation resulted in more than 350 pledges to increase the number of 16 to 24-year-olds working in the sector.
This included employers signing pledges to offer a total of 112 jobs, 102 apprenticeships and 153 work experience placements.
It was the latest stop for the British Hospitality Association’s (BHA) nationwide tour to “generate important dialogue between industry leaders and young people.”
The BHA want to inspire more young people to take up that vital first step on the hospitality career ladder to generate jobs and growth for the economy.
Industry leaders spoke on a variety of topics at the City of Bath College event to showcase the variety of fulfilling career paths available to the industry’s next generation of workers.
Bosses from many of the area’s most well-known hotels were in attendance, including the Bath Priory, The Royal Crescent Hotel, Calcot Manor and Lucknam Park.
About 70 school students from Beechen Cliff, Hayesfield, Bath Community Academy and St Gregory’s also got the chance to ‘have a go’ at a selection of hospitality activities. These included laying tables, silver service food service, sugarcraft and making pancakes.
The College’s Catering and Hospitality students played an active role in the all-day event by welcoming guests, serving lunch and refreshments, and running the ‘have a go’ activities.
City of Bath College Principal Matt Atkinson said the College was working closely with its community partners to boost employment and reduce skill shortages.
He said: “It is very, very important to make sure all students are ready for the world of work.
“Just coming to College isn’t enough, students have to gain work experience as well.”
Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, said young people were the industry’s best resource to secure its on-going success.
She said: “I have no doubt that many of those entering the industry through the Big Hospitality Conversation will make it to the very top, thereby joining the thousands of British chairpersons, managing directors, senior executives and entrepreneurs, who all started out at entry level in hospitality.
“There are very few other industries that can boast such progression and advancement in career terms.”
Paul Sadler, general manager of Calcot Manor and BHA south west regional committee chairman, told those at the event how he fell into the hospitality trade while “waiting for a proper job”, but discovered “what a vibrant and wonderful job it is and how you can progress quickly.”
He said: “Lots of young people are unemployed so it’s about linking them with employers.
“Young people deserve a break; we need to get them into our industry.”
Hospitality is currently the fourth largest industry in the UK, delivering £53 billion a year in wages and profits to the economy.
The BHA hopes to create 30,000 new job opportunities in the sector by 2015. More than 1,200 industry leaders have so far attended Big Conversation events across the country and pledged a total of 14,832 permanent roles, 11,103 apprenticeships, and 5,157 work placements.
The BHA will present the final amount of pledges to the Government to show how the hospitality industry is uniting to try to make a difference.
The Springboard charity, which helps young people to achieve their potential, will work with businesses to ensure the delivery of the pledges.
