More than 5,000 young people across the UK have secured work in hospitality thanks to the UK industry charity Springboard.
The impressive milestone means that the charity, which aims to help 10,000 young people secure jobs in hospitality before the end of 2022, is halfway to achieving its ambitious mission.
Launched to help the industry rebuild from the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, ‘Springboard to 2022’ is the industry solution to tackling hospitality, leisure, and tourism’s long-term staffing crisis. The team supports leading industry businesses by ensuring they have access to a skilled and engaged talent pipeline ready for the industry.
Springboard supports young people into jobs in the hospitality industry via its employability training programmes that includes one-to-one mentoring, soft skills and employability development (confidence, work attitude, CV building, interview practice, time management), practical industry and hard skills training including food safety and customer service, as well as access to work experience placements.
Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard, said, “Over the last 18 months, we have worked with our partners to provide employers with talented, motivated and engaged members of staff.
'With 5,000 young people now in employment and working with project partners Savoy Educational Trust, Barclays, BaxterStorey, Diageo and Trusthouse Charitable Foundation, we're delighted with what 'Springboard to 2022' has already achieved.
'With the sector's recovery ongoing, and plenty of talent still to be nurtured, we will continue doing everything we can to attract more young people to careers in the hospitality industry.”
As part of the Skill Up Step Up campaign to upskill young unemployed Londoners, Springboard trainee Devonte Tulloch (pictured) said, “The first thing Springboard gave me was a routine and a reason to get up in the morning. I would set my alarm for 5.30am because I had to commute from south London and I started going to bed at a normal time.
'I felt productive for the first time. They taught us how to lay out our CV, what to expect in an interview, and how to prepare and structure our answers. I learned to always be early and the importance of body language and tone. I learned that the customer is always right, and how to take criticism and improve from mistakes rather than be defeated by them.
“That course was the best thing that ever happened to me. I got a job as a dishwasher, then I worked in the kitchens and prepared lunches for the players at Wimbledon. Now I have a new job working between the bar, the kitchen and front of house at the O2 Arena.
'My manager told me my customer service has improved a lot and that I’m an enthusiastic, hard worker. I am excited to be working here at such an iconic venue. I’ve got my mojo back. I am one billion per cent more confident than I was before I found Springboard.”
The news comes after the hospitality charity announced reaching its 100,000 users milestone for its CareerScope platform, which was launched in September 2020, supported by leading names in the industry, including Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux Jr, and Clare Smyth. Eighteen months on, the platform has been used by more than 120,000 people looking to kickstart a hospitality career.
An industry first, CareerScope is a partnership between five organisations: Springboard, Hospitality Action, UK Hospitality, the Institute of Hospitality, and the Savoy Educational Trust. Its objectives are to promote careers in hospitality, attract talent to the industry and support those whose jobs were affected during the Covid pandemic.