Training scheme launches to build skilled hospitality workforce

Local hospitality firms in 26 regions are encouraged to sign up to a government-backed training scheme that aims to build a skilled workforce for the sector amid an industry-wide struggle to recruit job-ready talent.

The Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) aims to deliver 100,000 hospitality work placements (up from its previous target of 80,000) to those receiving unemployment benefits, so they can gain skills to work in the industry.

Run in partnership by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the sector’s leading trade body UKHospitality, the scheme will launch in the East, Midlands, North, South East and South West of England.

Staff shortages have plagued the sector for years amid a hiring crisis triggered by various causes including immigration changes and rising costs.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “This is an incredibly exciting programme and it is proven to deliver tangible benefits for both jobseekers and hospitality businesses.”

What is a SWAP and how does it work?

SWAPs are a type of training scheme delivered in partnership between the government, Jobcentre Plus, and local training providers.

Jobseekers aged over 18 will spend at least 10 days in a hospitality or classroom setting with an industry tutor, as well as five days’ work experience at a local pub, restaurant, or cafe that has signed up to the scheme.

At the end of the programme, each trainee is guaranteed a job interview or help with making an application to a job in hospitality. UKHospitality has reported that 80% of those who completed the pilot course are now employed in hospitality.

For employers, SWAP participation is completely free. Training is fully funded through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in England, and the Government will also cover travel and childcare costs whilst benefit claimants are on the scheme.

Employers can register for the programme on the UKHospitality website, where you can also find the full list of areas where the programme will be available. It covers:

• East – Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Skegness, Suffolk
• Midlands – Birmingham and Coventry
• North – Blackpool, Cumbria, Manchester, Liverpool, Scarborough
• South East – Banbury, Bournemouth, East Kent, Guildford, Gravesham, Mid Kent, Milton Keynes, North Kent, Reading, and Worthing
• London
• South West – Exeter, Solent, Torbay, Truro and Penwith

Successful participants will be able to add a new, certified digital award called a Hospitality Skills Passport to their CV, to demonstrate their competence and newly-qualified status.

Accredited by UKHospitality, the passport should aid recruitment for hospitality businesses by making it easier for employers to identify job-ready applicants and make the right hire.

Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Employment, Alison McGovern MP said it “enables businesses to recruit from a wider range of candidates and provide the necessary skills training tailored to an open vacancy.”

Can hospitality afford to recruit?

Staff shortages have become an unwelcome customer for hospitality businesses in the UK. Hiked minimum salary requirements for immigrants have resulted in a talent drain for the industry, while the cost-of-living crisis has sent many workers in the low-pay sector searching elsewhere for a better-paid role; despite April’s minimum wage rise.

This has resulted in a lack of skilled talent that has made hiring for nearly every role, from kitchen hands, to qualified chefs, to bar managers, harder.

The issue is also being exacerbated by the rising cost of employment. Earlier this month, hiked employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) sounded a death knell for much of the sector. The change affected hospitality, with its almost unique combination of tight profit margins and large workforces, particularly hard.

The SWAP may ease some pressure. But unless the Government addresses the impact of these latest tax hikes, new jobseekers may find themselves once again struggling to find employment upon finishing.