As we celebrate Hospitality Apprenticeship Week 2022 we look at the compelling opportunities apprenticeships offer for careers in hospitality.

“A career in hospitality is always good fun! The hospitality industry is all about providing good times for guests – and having good fun along the way! No two days are ever the same, and you never know what (or who) is going to walk through the front door, so you will always be kept on your toes. If the thought of sitting at a desk all day typing on a laptop scares you – then come and join an industry where chatting and making friends is all part of the job!” – Lauren Carroll, Vocational Learning Attraction Manager, Mitchells and Butlers

Hospitality offers a real opportunity to grow and progress a career faster than other sectors. And an apprenticeship is a great way to get started.

“Hospitality is a life skill as well as a career. Even if you are not sure that you want to spend your full career in the industry, having an apprenticeship in the sector will give you invaluable work and life skills that are transferrable to almost all jobs.” – Anne Harvey, Learning Manager, Jurys Inn and Leonardo Hotels

Whilst the industry is facing acute challenges around staffing and people, many businesses are exploring innovative ways to attract and retain talent. Apprenticeships continue to be a popular solution for employers. Proven to improve employee retention, they also ensure there is a pipeline of highly trained talent entering the industry each year.

“Apprenticeships create a talent pipeline across your business, improve productivity and support the upskilling of existing staff. They enable you to match the skills of the employees to the skills you need, which in turn raises staff morale. In addition, Apprenticeships improve your company image and thus attract the best candidates and increases diversity which in return reduces staff turnover.” – Jonathan Foot, Head of Apprenticeships & Early Careers, Compass Group UK & Ireland.

In a government survey, 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their business, whilst 77% said that they felt having apprentices now would give them a future competitive edge.

“The benefits of apprenticeships for our business have been widespread. Apprentices stay with us longer, are more engaged, and are more likely to view their role as a career choice. Not only this, they also deliver improved guest satisfaction, better food safety scores, increased number of meals served and decreased food wastage.

Through apprenticeships we have been able to tap into underused talent pools, such as those aged 16+ who bring in a wealth of different views to our business. This has helped us recruit, supporting the business as it recovers from the pandemic.”  – Lauren Carroll, Vocational Learning Attraction Manager, Mitchells and Butlers

With an increased focus on spreading opportunities more evenly across society since the pandemic, businesses now have a key role to play in securing the social mobility of future generations – an area that apprenticeships can play a vital role.

Compass’ Jonathan Foot continues: “As an organisation, our aim is to empower our people through knowledge, experience and opportunity. Compass is passionate about developing the future generation and making sure everyone has access to the first rung of the career ladder. Social mobility is at the heart of our people agenda and we’re uniquely placed to affect change due to our scale, geographic breadth and barrierless entry. We can offer the first job that helps build skills and confidence – as well as career paths and development support to help colleagues grow.”

For businesses wanting to find out more about how to take on apprentices and build a pipeline of future talent, increase retention and improve productivity visit www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-take-on-an-apprentice