UKHospitality and government in talks over launch of 'hospitality boot camps'

The Government is looking to roll out hospitality ‘boot camps’ to get unemployed people back to work and help fill thousands of vacancies in the sector, according to The Telegraph.

It is understood that ministers and trade body UKHospitality are currently engaged in conversations on what the ‘boot camps’ might look like, but the hope is to introduce a pilot scheme this autumn.

According to The Telegraph, Job Centre candidates could be trained in basic hospitality skills such as food preparation and food safety to set them up for roles in the sector.

The news comes as part of a government drive to encourage people back into work after a rise in economic inactivity after the pandemic.

Hospitality has struggled with staff shortages and in April 2023, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported the number of vacancies in the industry hit 132,000.

It is hoped such 'boot camps' could help to address persistent skills shortages in the hospitality sector, which has the higher proportion of unfilled vacancies than any other industry.

The sector has struggled with skill gaps in part due to the lack of seasonal and migrant workers, those who left the industry to train in other sectors during the pandemic, and the lack of young people entering the sector.

Speaking to The Caterer Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality said: “Hospitality offers fantastic career opportunities and, as a sector with flexible working patterns, can be the perfect opportunity to help those not working back into employment.

“With hospitality vacancies still well above pre-pandemic levels, we’re continuing to work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on filling those crucial jobs and partnerships with employers can play a productive role in this work.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “We work closely in partnership with the hospitality sector to support the specific challenges they face to recruit workers.

“We are continuing to engage with UKHospitality to explore how we can offer additional support whilst also helping to prepare jobseekers to fill local vacancies.”

DWP has also developed a dedicated hospitality section on JobHelp, a government job finding resource platform.