Track to the future
"I think this is a fun industry to be in," said Saskia Kullenberg, 23, a BA student in international hospitality and tourism from Holland. "There's the chance to meet people, use languages, and work anywhere in the world. There are plenty of opportunities, especially in food and tourism in London."
The mood of optimism among visitors to Opportunities '97 at the Novotel on 3 October was to be expected, as the catering and hospitality industry employs nearly 10% of the UK workforce and is one of the highest employment growth industries in Britain, according to the Hospitality Training Foundation.
Over the two days of the exhibition, Opportunities '97 drew a crowd of 1,800 young students and older professionals, including several coach-loads of students in their final years of HNVQ and GNVQ courses. Dressed in suits and armed with CVs, they had set their sights on jobs in all areas of the catering and hospitality industry, keen to be in the running for some of the more than 130,000 new jobs forecast by 1999, and a further 180,000 by 2004.
Exhibition visitors spoke to Caterer about their interest in working in different areas of the sector, citing the continued growth of the industry, great opportunities for travel and promotion, and being able to work with people rather than being stuck in an office job.
They were mostly GNVQ level 2, 3 and advanced level students, or HNVQ, NVQ, HND and other catering students, but there were two working outside the industry, and several already working in part-time and full-time positions in catering.
Long hours and low pay were the two biggest disadvantages highlighted by those attending, but these were outweighed by their enthusiasm for work. "You get used to the antisocial hours," said Emma Youngman, 20, a student in GNVQ advanced hotel management at the University of Suffolk. "You can make them social if you hang out with your workmates." Sixteen-year-old Darren Boulter, a GNVQ advanced hospitality and catering student from Bournemouth, agreed. "You have to cope with the hours if you like the job."
Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson was singled out by many as a role model. "I admire him for his enthusiasm, and for taking risks. A lot of people like him," said 24-year-old Philip Babington, a BA Hons student looking for a job with Pepsi-Cola, Air France or the Inter-Continental hotel group.
Others looked for inspiration to their managers or celebrity chefs such as Gary Rhodes, Ainsley Harriott or BBC2's Ready, Steady, Cook team. "My brother is my role model," said 22-year-old GNVQ student Ben Foy, "because he's passionate about what he's doing. He's been a chef at some top-class establishments and he's always striving for the best."
Students expressed an interest in working with large groups such as Hilton International, British Airways, the Inter-Continental group, Whitbread and Harrods. And a significant percentage wanted to travel abroad or run their own businesses.
