The DWP has confirmed details of its Hospitality Skills Passport, which sits alongside a 100,000-job pledge from the big chains. Here’s how independents can get involved, and what help is on offer.
- The DWP has confirmed its Hospitality Skills Passport, which sits alongside a pledge from big chains to offer 100,000 opportunities to 18- to 24-year-olds.
- The passport is a 20-day training credential that comes with work experience and a guaranteed interview. It’s free for employers to get involved.
- Independents aren’t named in the pledge, but any business can work with the DWP to host a placement, and grants are available if you hire.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed details of a scheme offering more than 100,000 opportunities to 18-to-24-year-olds, built around a new Hospitality Skills Passport.
The catch? The headline jobs are pledged by chains such as Whitbread, McDonald’s and Nando’s, which leaves smaller venues wondering where they fit. It’s a fair worry.
The British Institute of Innkeeping’s chair estimates it now costs around £10,000 a year more to employ someone than it did four years ago, which is a lot for a small venue to absorb.
So how does the passport work, can independents use it, and what help is there if you can’t?
What is the Hospitality Skills Passport, and what does it promise?
The Hospitality Skills Passport is a digital credential showing that a candidate has the core knowledge, skills and behaviours needed across front-of-house, kitchen and service roles.
People earn it on a 20-day programme, delivered by approved colleges and providers and accredited by OCN London. It also includes a work placement and a guaranteed interview. The DWP says the opportunities will come through direct recruitment and a training programme.
Two points are easy to miss. First, the passport is a route to a job, not a job offer. The 100,000 figure is a hiring target pledged by major employers over three years. Second, the 18-to-24 focus is the political target, not an entry rule.
The training runs through Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), and anyone on unemployment benefits can take part via their local Jobcentre.
Can independent venues use the passport too?
In many areas, yes. The programme has launched in 26 areas across England, and taking part is free for employers.
The DWP has also said any business can work with it to develop a SWAP. UKHospitality claims employers save an average of £2,500 per hire by meeting work-ready candidates, though that’s the trade body’s own figure.
The passport is also portable, so recruits arrive with the basics already covered. The flip side is that it travels with them if they move on.
Cost remains the sticking point. The National Living Wage rises to £13.20 in April 2027, with the rate for 18- to 20-year-olds going up to £11.27. [Full name and role of Price] warns that young people risk being “shut out of the labour market” as employers become choosier, according to the Morning Advertiser.
The government hasn’t yet said how independents will count towards the 100,000 target. Until it does, the pledge is largely a chains story. The passport itself, though, is open to anyone willing to put in a bit of legwork.
- Register your interest: Ask UKHospitality to match you to a SWAP in your region and connect you with your local DWP partner.
- Ask your Jobcentre about a bespoke SWAP: If there’s no programme nearby, ask your local Jobcentre about setting one up with the DWP.
- Offer a short placement: The DWP’s work experience programme offers two to four weeks of hands-on experience, a low-risk way to try someone before you hire.
- Claim the grants: You can get £3,000 for hiring an 18-to-24-year-old who has been on Universal Credit for six months, plus £2,000 for each new apprentice aged 16 to 24.
