Wowgloucestershire – job sector factsheet Prospects 2012 ©
HOSPITALITY: CURRENT JOB MARKET
· According to the British Hospitality Association in 2010, over two million people work in hospitality and catering, making it the UK's fifth biggest industry.Hospitality alsoplays a vital part in the success of the huge UK tourism industry
· Theconcentration of hotels and restaurants in a particular location depends on a few factors, including how touristy it is and whether or not many businesses are situated there. Major cities and towns tend to have the most opportunities
· In terms of the number of staff, the restaurant sector is the largest work area and the hotel sector the smallest. Job-wise, kitchen and catering assistants are the most plentiful grouping, and hotel porters one of the smallest
· As well as restaurants, cafes and fast food establishments, the contract catering market – which provides food services to places like schools, hospitals, exhibition centres and entertainment venues – is a major employer with around 140,000 staff plus around 100,000 'casuals'. It's currently worth around £4bn a year
· The hospitality industry employs many young workers, many part time workers and many international workers.Including other parts of the leisure and tourism sector, around a third of the staff are made up of under-25s and around 50% ofpeople work part time In London, around 80% of staff are from overseas (according to the British Hospitality Association)
· Particularly in the accommodation sector, the self-employed are an important part of the industry, e.g. family-run bed and breakfast establishments
· Most employers are small – the vast majority have 10 or fewer employees although the brand hotel groups (Marriot, Hilton, Accor, etc), for instance,often have over 100 staff. Major hotel chains are more likely to offer organised training, including graduate training programmes, than are smaller hotels although smaller hotels may provide the chance to get involved in a wider variety of tasks
· Hotels with branches abroad may offer the opportunity to transfer
· The success or otherwise of the industry is affected by many factors: the cost of staff, rents, the cost of food/other resources, the state of the economy (people cutting down on socialising), the cost of the pound (attracts/discourages overseas tourists), social upheaval (riots, terrorism), environmental issues (floods, foot and mouth disease in farm animals) andhigh car parking charges (which could affect city restaurants in particular)
· Hours can be unsocial and, although some staff are very well paid, low pay is common. This could account for the high staff turnover in parts of the industry
· Along with a shortage of staff in general, there are particular problems in attracting skilled managers and skilled chefs
HOSPITALITY: FUTURE TRENDS
· In 2010, the government said tourism, includinghospitality, would be at the centre of the UK's economy recovery – the aim isto become one of the world's top five tourist destination
· With the Olympics and the Queen's Jubilee, the focus will be on the UK in 2012 and ideally for at least a few years afterwards. However, experts say that financial factors such as increased air passenger duty andhigher VAT on accommodation (compared with other countries) could put tourists off
· According to the Hotel Britain 2011 report, 2010 showed a very slight growth in some parts of the UKbut how well the industry does in the next few years depends on world events – if travel and accommodation budgets for businesses continue to be cut, for instance, it will have a knock-on effect on many hotels
· 'Budget' accommodation is likely to continue to do well,though these sorts of places tend to employ only small numbers of staff. The UK's fastest growing budget chain, Travelodge, announced in 2011 that it intends to open 37 hotels in the UK's national parks, which could lead to around 500 jobs. However, for small hotels/bed and breakfastsalready in the area, it might not be such good news
· In difficult economic times, the fast food market is also likely to continue to grow e.g. McDonald's recentlyannounced a record turnover for 2010.'Fast food' employers can offer good training and promotion prospects and, nowadays, can be a source of graduate employment.According to the Times, McDonald's is one of the top 100graduate employers
· Foreign language skills have always been usefulfor people who want to work in the hotel industry or the restaurant trade in large cities. If the UK begins to attract visitors from the growing economies of China, India, and Brazil, as is hoped, then people with the relevant languages could have the edge over other job applicants
· Skilled chefs have been in short supply for a few years and this is likely to continue. There's a particular need for chefs who can cook Asian cuisine (partly as a result of the limitations on immigration from South Asia, which means only a small percentage of chefs qualify for admission to this country). The government is talking about opening a 'curry college' to fill the skills’ gaps
· The future ofhotels includes increased personalisation (customers choosing the type of room they want, amount of heat/air conditioning,particular entertainment system, etc), the growth oftechnology including social media (which means more IT and communication experts are needed), and – in spite of the recession – more luxury, including invitation only hotels
· Possibly because of so much exposure in the media, the hospitality and catering sector is becomingan increasinglypopular career area for graduates and other entrants– employers are therefore likely to have more choice when it comes to selecting staff, and competition for jobs will grow
HOSPITALITY: THE PICTURE IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE
· Hospitality is a significant part of the tourism industry in Gloucestershire, a sector which is extremely important in terms of the money it brings into the local economy and the employment it offers– around 8% of those employed in Gloucestershire work in tourism/similar (more than 19,000 jobs)
· Most employers do not have large numbers of staff. Hotels, for instance, are often family-run and small, although there are a few hotels with 100+ rooms
· Many of thelarge hotels are run by major chains, such as the French owned Accor or the Spanish owned Barcelo – foremployees who want to move abroad to work, Gloucestershire can be a good place to start!Also, especially in the Cotswolds, there are numerous country house hotels, some of which are at the top end of the price budget and so employ many staff. Country house hotels sometimes run big events, such as weddings
· When it comes to restaurants and cafes, there are a few chains (PizzaHut,Nanos, etc)but also lots of independents and, as in other parts of the UK, skilled chefs are in short supply. Catering opportunities might also exist in schools, and in some of Gloucestershire's tourist attractions, suchas zoos and gardens
· Getting involved in Cheltenham Festivals as a volunteer could be a way to find out more about events organising
· Cheltenham's food and drink festival (June) could be useful for possible contacts
· Tourist centres/websites, such as Visit Cheltenham, can provide information on hotels/restaurants in the area
Examples of hospitality employers in Gloucestershire
NBhotels which are part of chainsare sometimes taken over by other chains – so the name might change
· Queen’s Hotel Cheltenham
· Thistle Cheltenham
· Barcelo Cheltenham Park Hotel
· Holiday Inn Express Gloucester
· Hotel du Vin Cheltenham
· Cowley Manor near Cheltenham
· Calcott Manor, Tetbury
· Parallel Blue (events organisation)
· Cheltenham Racecourse (also events/hospitality)
· Mike Burton Group (corporate hospitality/sports events)
HOSPITALITY: FINDING OUT MORE
www.people1st.co.uk/
The sector skills council for the hospitality industry
careerscope.springboarduk.net/
Springboard careers scope - a virtual careers advice and guidance centre for the hospitality, travel and tourism, and leisure industries
www.excellencefound.co.uk/
National Skills Academy for hospitality has information about the Young Chefs Academy and the professional cookery diploma
www.instituteofhospitality.org/
Institute of Hospitality
www.bha.org.uk/
British Hospitality Association
Conferences and events
www.aceinternational.org/
Association for Conferences and Events
www.abpco.org/
Association of British Professional Conference Organisers
www.aeo.org.uk/
Association of Event Organisers.
www.eventia.org.uk/
Events Industry Association
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