Greene King has called for training in bar and restaurant skills to be given equal footing to university degrees in terms of career advice, in order to help alleviate some of the pressure of recruitment.
A survey of almost 2,000 young people, commissioned by pub operator and brewer commissioned, found that nearly half think the hospitality sector does not offer good career development opportunities, The Telegraph has reported.
A fifth believed a career in hospitality would be viewed negatively by society, while three in five did not believe there were enough promising job opportunities in their local area.
Greene King’s chief executive Nick Mackenzie told The Telegraph: “We need to change how people perceive jobs in hospitality.
“It is incredibly disheartening to see that nearly half of young people don’t view hospitality as offering them good career development opportunities.”
The business, which launches a report today (29 June) on how pubs can untap potential in order to help fill vacancies, said it is pledging to challenge the misconceptions uncovered by the survey.
Neil O’Brien, the minister for levelling up, and Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP and chairman of the education select committee are among politicians backing the initiative.
The challenges around recruitment and how pub operators are tackling them with creative solutions will be discuss on a panel at MCA’s Pub Conference next Wednesday (6 July), featuring St Austell Brewery, Chestnut Group and Attensi. To find out more or to book tickets please click here.
