Don't suffer in silence, let's talk ourselves up
I was heartened to read in a recent Opinion column ("We are the new government, we have the power", Caterer, 14 June, page 21) that, at the end of three days' in the middle of the ocean, delegates to the Catering Forum retained the wit to identify education as one of the agents that will transform our industry.
I couldn't agree more with the notion of employers getting in touch with colleges and learning providers, so that they can start working together to develop the kind of people operators need.
The industry leaders - the chief executives, managing directors and chairmen - on the Hospitality Training Foundation's Strategic Hospitality Advisory Panel of Executives have started to do just that. But I can't deny we still have a long way to go.
I think one of the reasons why we still have such a long way to go is that we tend not to talk ourselves up enough as an industry. Call it British reticence, but I would have thought that one of the rules of sales and marketing is to believe in your product. And what a product we've got.
But let's turn this on its head. If I were at the head of Government, in charge of UK plc, I would certainly give more than a passing nod to hospitality. Why? Because the latest HtF figures show that we have a lot to be proud of:
We are a growing industry employing around 1.8 million people.
We support local communities through the many small hospitality businesses; in fact, some 90% of establishments employ fewer than 10 people, and everyone knows that small and micro businesses are where future growth lies.
Our larger companies and corporates are vastly important because they employ 45% of the industry - more than 800,000 people. There aren't many industries in this day and age that employ that many.
We are the key driver of tourism, worth £63b - 60% of our workforce is in tourism-related jobs.
And, of course, hospitality is creating jobs. Far from being one of the world's "sunset industries", hospitality is an economic activity that the UK will come to depend on.
The knowledge-based economy has played its part in job creation, but hi-tech industries are now shedding jobs and the word is that these industries will need only a core of highly skilled people - perhaps 10%.
The time is right for the Government to reassess its investment in our industry. I think we are slowly beginning to get this message across. The British Hospitality Association's manifesto put it succinctly to Government: what we need is funding, food on the curriculum, and a sound qualifications framework.
The Hospitality Workforce Development Plan is the successor to the industry's Education and Training Strategy, and goes one step further. It is going straight to the heart of Government and the people who make the decisions and dole out the cash - the Learning and Skills Councils.
The plan, which was developed in consultation with industry, shows that the industry really does know what it wants. We want to:
Change our image - we need to be the industry of choice that the best people aspire to join because of enviable career pathways, competitive working conditions and because we care about them and their future.
Engage employers in training - there's plenty of useful training out there; we should use it as a tool to retain and reward people as well as to improve our bottom-line performance.
Ensure more of our people are qualified - because qualifications are the best indicator of a person's ability to perform a job, and they help in the selection and recruitment process.
Promote ourselves more effectively to the labour market by promoting career opportunities.
Have better information on the state of the industry and the labour market so that we can be more proactive.
Of course, we have had strategies before, but we still haven't cracked the problems of recruitment, retention and skills shortages.
I believe that the answer rests with employers. If you are an employer, take responsibility by reviewing your values, culture and organisational behaviours. Include your people as stakeholders. The solution rests with one group only - and it is the employers that drive this industry.
As an industry we really should be saying: "Look at us. See what we're worth. Recognise and support us because we are an industry that trains and looks after people."
We can hardly bemoan the lack of attention from Government if we do ourselves down, in words and in deeds.
Declan Swan is National Training Organisation director at the Hospitality Training Foundation. E-mail: dswan@htf.org.uk
Copies of the Hospitality Sector Workforce Development Plan will be available free of charge from the HtF, thanks to the generous support of Hospitality Plus.
