By Angela Green: WSH research shows how changing perceptions of hospitality can close the worker shortage.
Catering News is sponsored by Two Services
It’s no secret that the hospitality industry has faced significant challenges in recent years, due to the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis. As a result, many businesses in the sector have found it difficult to recruit suitable candidates to fill their job vacancies.
Adding more fuel to the fire, vacancies in the industry have fluctuated. The number of job openings in the hospitality industry stood at 116,000 between September and November 2023, which represented a decline of 34% from the decade-high recorded in 2022. While this is an improvement, this figure remains at a 33% increase from the pre-pandemic levels.
Thinking of new ways to recruit and retain talent has played an important part in getting ahead of the curve. Speaking to Simon Kelly, Operations Director at the independent hospitality provider, BaxterStorey Limited, he told us how this has been an integral part of their business strategy over the past year.
“Hospitality has gone through a massive resourcing challenge,” shares Simon. “A big priority for us over the past few years was to think of a new way to secure the talent of the future.”
Upskilling as a tool for securing the future
The economic volatility highlights the ongoing challenges in the hospitality sector and the need for businesses to adopt innovative strategies to address the talent gap. While it’s crucial to identify the factors contributing to the difficulties and be holistic in approaching solutions, it’s just as important for businesses to look into how they are attracting talent. A key part of the challenge is changing the common perception that working in hospitality is temporary, as opposed to a long-standing career choice.
A solution that has been underutilised in the hospitality industry is degree apprenticeships. By investing in staff training and development, and enhancing the industry’s reputation, businesses can attract and retain top talent, thereby ensuring their long-term success. This is exactly what Westbury Street Holdings (WSH) – the parent company of BaxterStorey and other leading brands including amongst others Holroyd Howe, Searcys, and Benugo operating in the food services and hospitality sector – has done.
“We have been incredibly proud to be able to support the degree apprenticeship programme,” shares Noel Mahony, Executive Director at WSH. “It’s superb to see some youth coming into our business, but it’s also even more valuable as they get the great balance of formal training as well as on-the-job experience.”
WSH partnered with Arden University – an education provider offering online and blended learning – to deliver a degree that is consistent for all of their employees nationwide.
“Working with Arden has been an integral part of the success we’ve had with onboarding fresh talent. Not only will our employees get experience in a wide range of hospitality in the various companies in WSH, but they get fantastic support from mentors and the great team at the University,” adds Noel.
At the moment, WSH has 500+ apprentices in training, 56 of which are currently on a degree or masters apprenticeship with Arden. It has, in turn, allowed them to introduce new talent and involve them in different areas of the business, all while reaping the benefits of the up-to-date industry knowledge Arden University offers.
“We recognise the importance of growing our own talent, and the apprenticeship programme brings those who may not have considered hospitality as a career forward to our team. More importantly, it also upskills them to match the demands of the industry today, keeping our business as strong as it can be,” explains Simon.
Degree apprenticeships can also change the way people think about the industry in terms of long-term careers, adds Simon. “With WSH, there’s a really broad spectrum of businesses and lots of opportunities to diversify. Hopefully, we excite and entice people into the business, and they can have a great career with us.”
Opening up doors for diversity
Another benefit of offering degree apprenticeships is that it covers university fees – an aspect that is growing in importance for the younger generation as they battle a rise in costs and inflation.
Speaking to Sonia Dhanecha, a BaxterStorey Degree Apprentice, she resonates with this, by telling us that she didn’t want to go down the traditional route of attending university. She said: “I love how I am gaining that practical experience, as well as being able to apply whatever we are learning at university to my job.”
Offering the chance to study through the business opens doors for those who didn’t have access to higher education at a younger age and, therefore, didn’t have the chance to gain a degree or post-grad qualification. Again, this will ensure that hospitality businesses are getting a diverse talent pool entering their company – which is especially important when it comes to senior roles. It also allows businesses to be more inclusive in terms of giving workers the opportunity to get the qualifications they need to progress while working.
An apprentice from Holroyd Howe, Natasha Davis, tells us that she applied to the apprenticeship as she was initially unsure of what she wanted to do. As a result, the programme has exposed to her an industry she may have not considered as a long-term option, with her now saying: “I have had such a great year here, so I can see myself staying for a long time.”
With degree apprenticeships opening doors for those who may not be able to go along the more traditional university route, we will see people from different backgrounds getting into senior roles. Alongside bringing fresh talent that is more likely to stay in the industry, new ideas and knowledge to boost revenue and better diversity, degree apprenticeships have the power to really transform and support the hospitality sector.
As Maria Stanford, People and Talent leader at WSH, concludes: “This is not just about WSH, but also about the wider industry. Degree apprenticeships are going to become even more important for the future of this industry.”
Catering News is sponsored by Two Services
