WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK IN HOSPITALITY? GET STARTED WITH A HOSPITALITY SKILLS PASSPORT

The government is working in partnership with the hospitality sector to help fill vacancies as the sector continues to find it challenging to recruit the people they need. The scheme is being trialled across the Liverpool City Region.

The government is joining forces with the hospitality industry to create next generation of hospitality workforce.

It is part of an initiative that will give people access to a new Government-backed employment programme that is designed to fill vacancies in the hospitality sector. The new employment scheme has been launched in Liverpool to upskill and match jobseekers to hospitality roles across the Liverpool City Region.

The scheme offers unemployed people claiming benefits the opportunity to get into hospitality. It provides fast-tracked training and work experience to gain an industry recognised ‘Hospitality Skills Passport.’ This is a pilot scheme that, if successful, will be rolled out across other cities in the country. Brexit and COVID created the perfect storm that saw people leave the hospitality sector to other sectors that appeared more stable and lucrative. Now, across England, there are more than 120,000 vacancies in hospitality.

The Hospitality Skills Passport is set to become an industry recognised accreditation, endorsed by industry leaders including Greene King, Marriot Hotels and ACC Liverpool.

The training scheme that develops the skills to get a Hospitality Skills Passport will be delivered through The Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP). This is a unique programme of learning has been created by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in collaboration with UKHospitality. The scheme will provide tailored training from industry experts. It is designed for people who have never worked in the sector, allowing them to move into a career in hospitality. The scheme is designed to get more people back into work, off benefits and into the hospitality industry, helping grow the economy and providing good quality sustainable jobs.

The scheme is tailored for benefit claimants. It provides them with the opportunity to gain valuable qualifications and accredited training in key skills needed in the industry. This includes: health and safety; food safety; licensing and dealing with difficult customers. Training in confidence and assertiveness will also be part of the scheme to build personal skills and strength.

The Hospitality Skills Passport will be a digital pass that can be added to CVs to show employers you have the skillset required by the sector.

On completion of the scheme, and award of the Hospitality Skills Passport, there will be a guaranteed job interview. The scheme provides a great way into the hospitality sector and the opportunity to gain further skills through apprenticeships.

Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive, UKHospitality is excited by the scheme. “Hospitality is a fantastic sector that offers a diverse variety of career opportunities, which is why it’s so well suited to helping people back into work. We’re delighted to be partnering with the Government to help run this exciting programme, which we hope can be a real positive for both jobseekers and businesses,” she said.

If you are unemployed and interested in getting into the hospitality sector, this scheme is for you. Talk to your Work Coach about Hospitality SWAP.