The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) and Perceptions Group have joined forces to help fight the shortage of pub chefs and improve chef skills for those working in the pub and bar sector.
The campaign has been launched following recent figures that show the growth in eating out is continuing to rise.
The BBPA has created a video - featuring footage from pub kitchens and face-to-face interviews with young chefs across the country - that will be promoted in schools, colleges and universities to inspire young people to pursue a pub chef career.
It aims to capitalise on the rising popularity of programmes like the Great British Bake Off and the fame of figures who have pub connections like Tom Kerridge and Jamie Oliver.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign yesterday, BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: “The need to retain and encourage more people to come in to our industry has never been greater.”
She said attracting young chefs to the pub sector is vital to the prosperity of the industry as one billion meals are now served in British pubs, which have become a key attraction for overseas visitors who want to sample British food and beer.
The BBPA estimates an additional 843,000 jobs will be created by 2020 in pub kitchens yet the lowest numbers of applications are received per role, despite the opportunities available.
Schools and colleges will be involved in the scheme to make young people aware of the opportunities on offer and “address the negative perceptions of the work,” Simmonds added.
“We need the appropriate skills and training to inspire young people to translate passion for life in to passion for being a chef.”
Tim Hulme, chief executive of the BII said: “Training, developing and retaining staff is a massive issue for us if we don’t start to behave differently.” He said this will include establishing industry recognised qualifications, which are currently “way behind other industries”.
Through the new website, young people can find out more about specific roles in pub kitchens as well as other front and back of house jobs and match their own skills sets and interests with available positions.
National and regional employers can advertise job directly through the website to cut out recruitment agencies and gain greater brand awareness and exposure as employers.
Operators are encouraged to sign up and register their details for the database of jobs and employer information on the website pubandbarcareers.com, which is now live.
At the same time the BII has launched a Level 2 Chef Apprenticeship qualification in pub chef skills and operations.
It covers key topics including food safety, teamwork, conflict resolution, the basics and principles of a comprehensive range of dish preparation, cooking theory, stock control and licensed hospitality operations, in order to standardise chef skills across the industry.
In tandem, the Perceptions Group has launched a new Pub & Bar Careers website, due to go live in the coming weeks, alongside a new blog (http://pubchefpassion.com) which shows what it is like to work in the kitchen with direct information from young chefs.
“With the eating out market growing at around 2.8%, and further growth expected throughout 2015, we need to take action to attract and train young chefs who can develop their skills as our sector continues to be at the forefront of this trend,” said BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds.
BII chief executive Tim Hulme added: “The new qualification is equally suited to pubs and bars already offering apprenticeships as well as those looking to start recruiting apprentices.
“The qualification combined with the release of the film will highlight the career and learning opportunities to help stem the pub chef skills shortage.”
Perceptions Group vice-chairman Anthony Pender said: “With the pub and bar sector worth around £18bn to the economy and 15 million people visiting pubs each week we are a hugely important industry.
“We need to attract, nurture and provide a credible pipeline for talent to encourage more people to take a career in this sector seriously.”
You can view the chef film here.
