Springboard drives 10,000 people into employment

Hospitality charity Springboard has supported more than 10,000 people into employment through its Springboard to 2022 initiative.

It comes after the campaign celebrated more than 7,000 sign-ups this July.

The scheme launched in October 2020 and has since encouraged thousands of people from all walks of life, including Ukrainian refugees, care leavers and people with mental or physical health conditions to join the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry.

Out of the 10,000 who secured jobs through Springboard, 56% were male and 46% were female, with 85% aged under 30.

Of those, 40% went into front-of-house roles, 25% into kitchens, 15% into reception jobs, 8% into cleaning, and 12% into support, including marketing, finance or maintenance.

Many have joined companies such as IHG, Compass, Hilton, Jurys Inn, Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Nando's through the support of one-to-one mentoring, soft and hard skills development, and work placements.

For example, Maryna Tonka, a single mother who fled the war in Ukraine to find shelter for herself and her daughter in Scotland, is now an F&B assistant at the Ibis South Bridge in Edinburgh.

She signed up to be a Springboard trainee because she wanted to learn new skills and overcome the language barrier.

She said: "As a refugee from Ukraine, I wanted to be useful to the country sheltering us. As part of my training, I learned valuable skills such as how to work in a team and how client relationships differ between Ukraine and Scotland. The training was hugely valuable and has helped me find a job I truly enjoy."

Chris Gamm, chief executive of Springboard, said: "We're delighted to have reached and exceeded our goal, helping more than 10,000 people find employment this year. Hearing how the programme has changed the lives of participants – many of whom faced challenges such as mental or physical health conditions and the war in Ukraine – makes this achievement even more meaningful.

"Knowing we've been able to support the hospitality businesses we work with as they continue to face staffing challenges resulting from Brexit and Covid-19 is also incredibly positive and we look forward to furthering this next year."

Springboard was established in 1990 and supports the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry through employability training programmes and education programmes.