Greene King becomes BHA member amid apprenticeship drive
Pub company and brewer Greene King is to become a member of the British Hospitality Association (BHA), it was announced today.
The news comes soon after Greene King's pledge as a supporter of the BHA's long-running campaign to help young people into hospitality careers via apprenticeships, also via the BHA's Big Hospitality Conversation events taking place across the UK in 2016. Following its recent acquisition of the Spirit Pub Company, Greene King now has 42,000 members of staff, including over 2,000 apprentices.
The BHA seeks to champion the needs of hospitality businesses, promoting competitiveness and lobbying the government for fair dealings on policy affecting the sector. It also looks to promote productivity and digital progress.
Rooney Anand, Greene King chief executive officer, said: "We are committed to raising the visibility of the industry as it continues to drive the UK economy and deliver strong new job creation [and] our business priority is to attract, retain and develop the very best people. That is why we have decided to join the BHA, which has done so much to encourage more talent into hospitality and tourism."
Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, said: "We are delighted to welcome Greene King into our membership. With employment issues currently taking centre stage, we are lobbying to help alleviate the huge impact of the National Living Wage on this industry and for the introduction of an Apprenticeship Training Academy to support SMEs and longer apprenticeship periods to allow for seasonality. Greene King will provide valuable perspective and leadership for the pub and brewing industry on these issues and many more."
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