Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall and St Austell Brewery have secured funding for a project aimed at boosting the wages and career prospects of lower paid workers in the hospitality sector.
Funding has been secured from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) to create the project in conjunction with Watergate Bay Hotel, Cornwall College and Visit Cornwall.
The ‘Experts Grow’ project aims to increase the productivity and perceived value of hospitality skills, and to develop professional opportunities within the hospitality industry.
UKCES identified the hospitality and retail sectors as industries with some of the lowest pay rates in the country. Cornwall was chosen as a place where one in three households has someone working in hospitality.
Matthew Thomson, chief executive of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall and the Cornwall Food Foundation, said: “We are thrilled to have been invited to work with UKCES. The hospitality industry is central to our regional economy and we need thriving, professional hospitality businesses to deliver sustainable and inclusive growth in Cornwall and beyond.
“Companies flourish when the people who make them are well rewarded and can shape their own careers. Our partnership of progressive hospitality businesses is keen to make a difference across the south-west and we would love to hear from anyone with the same ambition.”
James Staughton, managing director of St Austell Brewery said: “We are delighted to be part of this project. Our businesses are crying out for new talent and we must work together to demonstrate that the hospitality sector is great for careers and skills with fantastic opportunities in Cornwall for professional and business development.”
