Glasgow hotels club together to recruit unemployed

Nine hotels in Glasgow have got together to help tackle the skills shortage facing the industry in the city.

The initiative, called Hospitality Glasgow, has been arranged by the Glasgow Hoteliers Association in conjunction with Careers Scotland, Jobcentreplus, and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow.

It aims to give people who have been long-term unemployed the skills to get a first step into the industry.

So far one pilot scheme has been run, taking 11 people, 10 of whom completed the course. Six now have full-time work and four have been accepted into full-time jobs.

The six-week course, funded by Jobcentreplus and Scottish Enterprise, was drawn up by the hotels and covers areas such as food hygiene, customer care, health and safety, fire safety and first aid.

Those on the course also get a two-week placement with one of the nine hotels, and get to experience working in a kitchen.

The scheme is now being evaluated and, it is hoped, should be launched in the city on a wider scale in July.

More hotels are also going to be approached to see if they want to take part.

"A lot of hoteliers are already asking how they can get involved because they have heard about it through word of mouth," said project co-ordinator Alison Muir, who works for Chardon Management, a hotel management firm that manages a number of the hotels.

The nine currently involved are the Hilton Glasgow Grosvenor, City Inn, Holiday Inn City Centre (Theatreland), Express by Holiday Inn (Theatreland), Glasgow Moathouse, Radisson SAS, Millennium Hotel, Malmaison Hotel and Holiday Inn Glasgow (City West).

by Nic Paton

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