Generation Z favours hospitality jobs
New research from Costa Coffee has revealed that the post-millennial generation of the UK are increasingly turning towards jobs involving hospitality.
Over half of 16- to 24-year olds (56%) said they believed that learning a food and drink based trade would boost their career opportunities, compared to only 37% of the over 55s.
Some 34% of 16- to 24-year olds also said they believed that choosing a career in hospitality was more likely to offer career progression than in something like politics.
Meanwhile, 63% of those surveyed said they were more concerned with handcrafted dishes than a decade ago, with 42% now classing themselves as foodies.
Appreciation of the skill that goes into crafting fine food has also grown, with the research indicating that 52% of people now choose which coffee shop to stop at based on the skills of its baristas.
The research comes as Costa Coffee crowns its 2016 Barista of the Year, the coffee chain's global competition to find the most skilled Costa barista. Costa currently employs over 7,000 16- to 24-year olds in the UK.
Kate Seljeflot, group HR director at Costa Coffee, commented: "It is clear that the hospitality industry is not only booming, but it's got the attention of a nation of foodies. Brits are coffee lovers and Costa baristas are consistently working to deliver the best coffee experiences for customers. Costa baristas undergo world-class training and pour passion, pride and skill into every cup. We're always on the look-out for enthusiastic people who are passionate about coffee, keen to learn a useful trade and enter a flourishing industry."
Costa's Barista of the Year competition, which is now in its eleventh year, took place in London on 12 January and celebrates outstanding talent amongst baristas. Previous winners have gone on to pursue broad ambitions within the business, including 2012's UK based winner, Victoria Stewart, who is now an insights executive.
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