UKHospitality has appointed a new skills director, Sandra Kelly, to shape the future framework of skills in hospitality.
Kelly was previously the UK director at People 1st International and has had nearly 30 years of operational and strategic experience across the hospitality sector.
The move positions skills policy development at the heart of its work, with the new role critical to the delivery of UKH’s recently launched hospitality workforce strategy.
The role will cover skills in secondary, further and higher education - with a renewed focus on apprenticeships and other in-work training.
UKH will work with industry partners, training providers and educational institutions to provide pathways for people of all ages to realise their ambitions to join and grow in hospitality.
It will focus on short-term challenges but also look to fix the pathway into, and upwards, in hospitality for the long-term.
Kate Nicholls, CEO, UKHospitality said: “Hospitality is facing a workforce crisis. We are determined to tackle this for the fantastic businesses in the sector and to provide fulfilling jobs that boost social mobility. I am delighted to welcome Sandra and her wealth of knowledge and experience to the team to drive this forward. This appointment allows us to look at the short-term opportunities to tackle our current labour crisis but also to ensure there is a pipeline of talent that ensures we have great people joining hospitality and experiencing the opportunities we can provide.”
UKH will continue to work with People 1st International as the licensed Sector Skills Council for the industry, which will play a role in taking forward the skills measure outlined as one of five strands in the hospitality workforce strategy.
