Let your hair down this January!
SMART GROUP CALLS ON THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TO LET THEIR HAIR DOWN THIS JANUARY
While Brits across the country are celebrating the festive season, whether it’s the work Christmas party, an evening out with friends or a special family dinner out, the hospitality and events industries are busy making sure that everything is running smoothly. In fact, rather than having some down time over the festive period, most of the UK’s hospitality and events industry workforce has its busiest time of the year.
Smart Group believes January is the time for the hospitality trade to treat themselves and enjoy some post-Christmas celebrations at its premier event, Hospitality Rocks, organised and priced exclusively for the industry and taking place on Friday 7th January 2022 at Evolution London. In keeping with the festive spirit, Smart Group will be raising money at the event for The Springboard Charity and Hospitality Action. Having already helped raise nearly £15,000 at previous Hospitality Rocks events, the aim is to surpass this figure in 2022. In order to achieve this, Smart Group intends to exceed the 1,750 guests welcomed in 2020 and will guarantee to donate £5 to charity for every ticket sold, as well as helping to raise funds through exciting competitions and auctions on the evening.
Bringing together the industry at one exclusive event, guests will be treated to this year’s Après themed experience and transported to the slopes for one unforgettable night. The red carpet will be rolled out for guests into the incredible venue, where an outstanding range of entertainment will be showcased throughout the evening, from breath-taking artists, choreographed routines, and top London DJs. A state-of-the-art light show will dazzle guests during the evening. They will also be able to take a turn on the dodgems, sing onstage with a live rock band courtesy of Rockaoke, or hit the dancefloor with friends. A delicious three-course dinner is also included in the ticket price, as well as a canapé reception on arrival. Exciting optional extras also include after-dinner casino tables and a photo experience.
Smart Group manages over 700 events every year, offering a dynamic collection of hospitality, venue, catering and events management businesses with over 25 years’ experience.
Tickets are priced at £75 per person, which is nearly 40% discount from the usual Smart Group Christmas party rate at Evolution London. Tickets include a canapé reception, three-course dinner, and all the entertainment needed for a fantastic evening out with colleagues.
Other benefits included in the ticket price are free car parking, free cloakroom facilities and dedicated black taxi rank
There is full disabled access.
THE SPRINGBOARD AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE ARE NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES!
Springboard and headline sponsor, Smart Group, are excited to announce that the Springboard Awards for Excellence are now open for entries.
Nominate yourself or another deserving business or individual for the Springboard Awards for Excellence! We want to recognise and celebrate the hospitality superstars, who have shown amazing resilience and innovation, managing to shine over the past year as the industry rebuilds.
The 16 award categories include ‘Best recruitment initiative’, ‘Best Talent Onboarding’, ‘Employee Health & Wellbeing‘ and ‘Business Innovation‘, alongside some new awards for 2022, including ‘Disability Confidence’ and ‘Best Kickstart Employer’.
The ceremony will take place in Spring 2022 at Smart Group’s exquisite and award-winning ‘Illuminate’ venue, with a panoramic window offering stunning views of the city.
The Springboard Awards for Excellence are FREE to enter and easy to do on our online form.
Meet our new partner!
Resident Hotels announces a new business partnership with The Springboard Charity & Springboard UK, the industry charity committed to futureproofing the hospitality and tourism talent pipeline.
It has been an incredibly challenging period for the hospitality industry and Resident Hotels is proud to be working with Springboard to address the staffing shortages in the wake of Brexit and the pandemic.
The UK hotel operator recognises the importance of collaborating with established industry partners in a collective effort to raise the profile of the hospitality industry as a viable and rewarding career.
The partnership will involve supporting Springboard’s varied programme of activities including volunteering, fundraising and mentoring with a constant focus on futureproofing the talent pipeline for hospitality.
Springboard helps individuals to prepare for and find careers in the hospitality, leisure, and tourism industry through providing advice, knowledge and skills via education programmes in schools, colleges and universities. Their services are available for all age groups, the unemployed and disadvantaged groups.
The charity has created ‘Springboard to 2022’, an ambitious programme with a goal to have 10,000 young people trained and ready for work in hospitality by the end of 2022. Resident Hotels is delighted to be part of this journey.
Commenting on the partnership, Jennifer Watts, Head of HR at Resident Hotels said: “As we return to some sense of normality, after multiple lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever that we, as employers, do what we can to improve how careers in hospitality are perceived. Through our partnership with Springboard, we look forward to further supporting the hospitality industry and the people within it.’’
Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard, commented, “We are delighted to have The Resident on board as a valued partner. Springboard to 2022 relies on the support of fantastic hospitality venues, such as The Resident, who are dedicated to investing in people and futureproofing the talent pipeline”.
For more information on The Resident, please visit www.residenthotels.com and Springboard https://springboard.uk.net/.
About Resident Hotels Ltd
Resident Hotels Ltd is a privately owned hotel company, that re-branded as The Resident in February 2020 with the support of its owners and majority shareholders, Mactaggart Family Partners, led by Sir John Mactaggart. The Resident is a personable brand of five distinctive city centre hotels (four in London and one in Liverpool) providing excellent rooms, in exceptional locations with heartfelt hospitality. All five hotels receive exceptional guest appreciation, with The Resident Covent Garden ranking #1 out of 1,188 London hotels on TripAdvisor (August 2021). The Resident has recently refurbished its lounges and refreshed all rooms with hand-picked and often handmade British and European furniture. Each room has a concealed mini-kitchen, and an in-room grocery service is available for guests. Headquartered in London, Resident Hotels is headed by CEO David Orr, who joined the company in March 2018. The Resident currently offers 379 rooms and plans to expand with an additional 1200/1500 rooms in the UK in the next seven years. If you have a development opportunity, please contact David directly at David.orr@Residenthotels.com.
For more information, please visit our website at residenthotels.com email in addition, you can connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
About The Springboard Charity and Springboard UK
Springboard was established in 1990 to support the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry and those seeking employment within it, with three key aims:
- To advance the life and education of those under the age of 25, through the provision of advice, training and skills courses.
- To relieve poverty and unemployment by assisting people to secure jobs in the hospitality sector.
- Tackle ongoing problems the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries face, including staff and skills shortages and misrepresentation about what a fulfilling career they offer.
What we do:
Working nationally across the UK and Ireland, our work is built around three key areas:
- Employability training programmes – helping disadvantaged people gain soft and hard skills, industry insight, and work placement opportunities- leading to overall improved wellbeing, enhanced employability, and transition to positive destinations including employment/further education/an apprenticeship/etc.
- Education programmes – working with schools, colleges and universities to enhance curriculum teaching delivered to students – helping them gain key industry insight and skills development required for the transition from education to employment
- Careers resources and advice – providing specialist careers activities online, face-to-face and at careers events.
Hospitality Apprenticeships Week 2021
Find out what makes a hospitality job #MoreThanAJob
The hospitality industry is looking for people who want to begin an exciting, lifelong career in which no two days are the same. Hospitality Apprenticeships Week 2021, taking place from 18 to 22 October 2021 will showcase the range of apprenticeships available across a diverse range of hospitality businesses and launches alongside the first ever hospitality apprenticeships hub, hosted by the industry support platform CareerScope.
The CareerScope hub is a one stop shop for careers advice and apprenticeship opportunities, with thousands of live roles, as well as sector pathway guides and case studies. This year’s Hospitality Apprenticeship Week campaign is called ‘more than a job’. Current apprentices, former apprentices and employers alike are using the hashtag #MoreThanAJob on social media to inspire potential recruits about the breadth of roles and development opportunities hospitality can offer, as well as to showcase their brand and current apprenticeship vacancies.
There is a different theme each day during Hospitality Apprenticeships Week showing the different career pathways available. They are:
- Monday – hospitality and apprenticeships – busting the myths
- Tuesday – hospitality job roles: chef
- Wednesday – hospitality job roles: front of house
- Thursday – hospitality job roles: supervisors and management
- Friday – Join us: be part of our team
The campaign has been developed by the Hospitality Apprenticeships Steering Group, which is made up of some of the industry’s biggest employers, training providers, key industry trade bodies and government representatives in the UK.
Chris Gamm, chief executive of hospitality charity, Springboard, one of the organisations behind the campaign and the CareerScope hub, said:
“It’s well known that hospitality needs to attract more home-grown talent to address the current staffing shortages and ensure there is a sustainable talent pipeline for many years to come. Hospitality Apprenticeships Week is a brilliant way to showcase the industry and your business to your customers and followers, show what a fun and dynamic industry it is to work in, and the brilliant opportunities it offers to develop and build a career.”
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality and member of the steering group, said:
“Hospitality Apprenticeship Week is a fantastic way for people to learn about the wide range of roles in the sector, at a time when there are many opportunities to join the sector’s post-Covid renaissance. Hospitality has embraced apprenticeships as a gateway into roles as well as for upskilling its existing workforce. Anyone looking for a new job or a change of career would do well to take a look at what the sector has to offer. With furlough coming to an end from October and a shortage of staff in the sector, this is perfect timing.”
Springboard Calls on Our Alumni to Share Their Story
Share your story!
Springboard is looking for former trainees and candidates who have used one of our services or courses in the past to help launch their career in the hospitality industry. We have been operating for the past 31 years and, in that time, there have been many different courses and programmes available. If you have taken part, please get in touch and share your story.
As part of the Springboard to 2022 project to support 10,000 unemployed people into work in the industry, Springboard is promoting the sector to the next generation of talent through schools, colleges, community groups, the job centres and our marketing campaigns.
“If you took part in a Springboard training course of programme such as FutureChef and used it to launch your career in the industry, we want to hear from you, so that we can feature you and celebrate your success in our campaigns,” said Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard.
“One of hospitality’s strongest selling points is the ability to quickly progress, take on more responsibility and climb the ranks. If this sounds like you, please get in touch and help us showcase the opportunities are industry affords with the world.”
By sharing your experiences and career journey, you could help others to join this wonderful industry and begin a great new career. Please send your name, current role, course you took part in and approximate date to aiminaf@springboarduk.org.uk.
#MyHospitalityLife
Championing the industry
Springboard are calling on as many hospitality professionals as possible to get involved with #MyHospitalityLife from Friday 17th September onwards, showcasing the industry as a great place to work with excellent career prospects, to inspire the next generation.
We’re asking our hospitality family to share and interact with posts tagged with #MyHospitalityLife on social media, join discussions about the industry, celebrate the many positives and dispel the myths. You can create your own social media posts, whether they are testimonials or videos to show people the highlights of what you do, why you do it and even demo some of the impressive skills you have gleaned throughout your career.
Hospitality is growing and is crying out for new talent to hop on board. There is no other industry like it in terms of flexibility, variety, fast-track career progression and great perks. We want to let people know what hospitality can offer – the different roles, routes of entry and career journeys available to those with the ambition to succeed in this fast-paced industry.
We are asking our Ambassador Partners to
- Create case studies following the instructions given, submitting them to us for us to share across our online platforms. Quotes, pictures, testimonials, or videos that highlight what you do and why you do it. Showcase the impressive skills you have gleaned throughout your hospitality career.
- Share and interact with posts tagged with #MyHospitalityLife on social media to create discussions around the industry.
- Tying in with National Hospitality Day, go Live and share stories of interviews with your employees & colleagues, a behind scenes tour, a job-swap day, or a cook-off? Could you show us how to create latte art or run a Cocktail Masterclass?
- Encourage colleagues & friends to sign-up as a Springboard Ambassador to help promote the industry.
My Hospitality Life is for people in any role in hospitality, whether they’re new to the industry or have been working in it for 40 years – lets create one positive, enthusiastic voice. We want to show people what we do, what hospitality can offer people and the different career journeys for those who want to succeed.
Find out more about becoming a Springboard Ambassador: www.springboard.uk.net/ambassadors
Hospitality Apprenticeships Week
#MoreThanAJob
Employers have been called on to showcase their talented workforce during Hospitality Apprenticeships Week 2021 to attract new people and change perceptions of roles within the industry. Taking place from Monday 18 to Friday 22 October 2021, the campaign will also launch the first ever hospitality apprenticeships hub, which is hosted by the industry support platform, CareerScope. Launching later this month, the hub will be a one stop shop for careers advice and apprenticeship opportunities, with thousands of live roles, as well as sector pathway guides and case studies.
This year’s campaign is called ‘more than a job’, and employers can use the hashtag #MoreThanAJob to educate and inspire potential recruits about the breadth of roles and development opportunities hospitality can offer, as well as showcase their brand and current apprenticeship vacancies.
About the week
There will be a different theme each day during Hospitality Apprenticeships Week showcasing hospitality apprenticeships and the different career pathways available. They are:
- Monday – hospitality and apprenticeships – busting the myths
- Tuesday – hospitality job roles: chef
- Wednesday – hospitality job roles: front of house
- Thursday – hospitality job roles: supervisors and management
- Friday – Join us: be part of our team
An employer campaign toolkit, social assets, suggested posts and campaign ideas can be downloaded here.
Who’s behind the campaign?
The campaign has been developed by the Hospitality Apprenticeships Steering Group, which is made up of some of the industry’s biggest employers, training providers, key industry trade bodies and government representatives in the UK.
Chris Gamm, chief executive of hospitality charity Springboard, one of the organisations behind the campaign and the CareerScope hub, said: “It’s well known that hospitality needs to attract more home-grown talent to address the current staffing shortages and ensure there is a sustainable talent pipeline for many years to come. Hospitality Apprenticeships Week is a brilliant way to showcase the industry and your business to your customers and followers, show what a fun and dynamic industry it is to work in, and the brilliant opportunities it offers to develop and build a career.”
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality and member of the steering group, said: “Hospitality Apprenticeship Week is a fantastic way for people to learn about the wide range of roles in the sector, at a time when there are many opportunities to join the sector’s post-Covid renaissance. Hospitality has embraced apprenticeships as a gateway into roles as well as for upskilling its existing workforce. Anyone looking for a new job or a change of career would do well to take a look at what the sector has to offer. With furlough coming to an end from October and a shortage of staff in the sector, this is perfect timing.”
To find out more information about the newly launched Hospitality Apprenticeships hub, please check out: Hospitality apprenticeships – CareerScope – Hospitality | Leisure | Tourism
Discover the future of tourism and hospitality
New recruitment drive for tourism and hospitality sectors.
Springboard have just launched a campaign, together with Scot GOV, Visit Scotland and Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA), to encourage people to choose a career in Scotland’s valued tourism and hospitality industry. This is a campaign that will promote the range of roles within the industry, helping people find a job that suits different skill sets. It will support businesses fill the staff shortages that have occurred as a result of Brexit and encourage those aged 18-30 to play a significant role in helping said businesses recover from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by applying their skills to the diverse job opportunities available now.
We have developed this campaign in conjunction with the sector, and lead partner STA and it is supported by £100,000 funding.
The CEOs
Business and Tourism Minister Ivan McKee said:
“Tourism and hospitality businesses have been extremely hard hit by the pandemic and the ability to employ committed, talented and enthusiastic staff will be an important part of the recovery.
“There are a host of job opportunities needing filled right now to suit a range of passions and interests and the possibilities for a career in hospitality are endless. Whether it’s meeting new people, being part of a team, or working with food, this new campaign highlights that ‘whatever you love doing, there’s a job in hospitality for you’.
“We had pledged £25 million for tourism recovery in the first 100 days of this government and this recruitment campaign will play a key part in that recovery. I hope this recruitment drive will encourage young Scots who perhaps hadn’t considered a job in this sector to look at the many opportunities available to them.”
The Chief Executive of Scottish Tourism Alliance was quoted saying:
“The jobs are here in Scotland’s tourism industry and employers are doing more than ever to support and encourage people to come and work in these roles, whether it’s for the short or longer term.
“The career opportunities are varied and numerous and in a people based sector. There are the added softer benefits such as being a valued part of a team and having something to be proud of – maybe a service that you have delivered or someone’s day that you’ve made with a great hospitality experience.
“This new campaign highlights the possibilities that exist right now for all abilities, skill sets and levels of experience. This summer is absolutely the time to become part of Scotland’s tourism industry and enjoy the buzz and reward that brings.
Leon Thompson, Executive Director at UKHospitality Scotland said:
“This is an important and very welcome campaign, demonstrating the Scottish Government’s support for the country’s hospitality sector. Right now many businesses are struggling to recruit a full workforce, resulting in closures and scaled back service. The campaign, with its focus on young people, helps illustrate the variety of the jobs on offer and the terrific career opportunities that can be enjoyed by people entering hospitality.
“Hospitality is all about people and that starts with a talented and skilled workforce. UKHospitality is delighted to be supporting this campaign.”
What you need to know
The campaign will run from 5 July to 15 August.
The supporters of the campaign include the Scottish Tourism Alliance, UKHospitality Scotland, Skills Development Scotland, Springboard, HIT Scotland, VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise.
As part of the campaign, tourism employers are asked to list vacancies on the CareerScope jobs portal. The jobs will then be available to all the CareerScope users and those with profiles will be matched to suitable vacancies.
Employers are encouraged as far as possible to advertise roles as being flexible and to offer training where required as this will encourage more young people to apply.
Springboard career hubs inspire school leavers to venture into the world of hospitality
Springboard is showcasing careers in hospitality, leisure and tourism to 1,200 students through a series of 10 career hub days across the months of May and June, 2021.
Each digital career hub will contain 120 pupils between the ages 17 and 18, from six schools across a series of regions, including London, the Midlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland.Three career hubs have already taken place in Bristol, Manchester and Wales.
These three hubs have featured an introduction to careers in hospitality, an employer spotlight and advice on personal qualities, applying for work and interview skills, as well as talks from Springboard ambassadors.
The career hubs are day-long events, delivered digitally and made up of 4 sessions focussing on careers in hospitality. Students gain a host of skills and knowledge that will give them an advantage when looking for opportunities in the hospitality industry.
Case Studies
Abigail Connolly
Putting the skills that she attained at the University College Birmingham to test, Abigail Connolly is now a student turned owner and operator at Arch 13. Arch 13 (at Connolly’s Wine Shop) is a wine and cheese bar that continues to demonstrate the art of mocktail making to over 110 students. Abigail Connolly’s training and work experience alongside the likes of Glyn
Purnell has strengthened her expertise in wines and spirits, thus making her a trailblazer as the only certified female wine sommelier in Birmingham. Here is Abigail’s career journey in her own words:
“It was a pleasure to work with Springboard on this important initiative, highlighting career opportunities within hospitality and helping young people find their career path.”
– Abigail Connolly
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith is an established lecturer of Hospitality and Catering at South Birmingham College. He simultaneously supports the hospitality industry by working with Birmingham’s local high schools to promote their courses offered to the youth. Of his experience, Smith said,
“Thank you to you and all your staff for working so hard to put together such an amazing day. Lots of the students have already said how much they enjoyed it and felt it had made them more confident to apply for work. The Arch 13 bit was especially good, as it is in Birmingham they can relate to it and we have worked with Glyn Purnell in the past.”
– Christopher Smith
Career Resources
As part of the careers resources, Springboard has developed a video resource that seeks to give young people an insight into their careers – the latest one focuses on the role of a chef. With career resources like this, Springboard and culinary professionals can work together to help young people at entry level roles in the kitchen learn how to progress through the ranks to a fulfilling career as a chef, for example. Watch this YouTube video here to learn more about Roles in the Kitchen.
Springboard Careers and Education programmes form the initial outreach point of the Springboard 2022 initiative, which will, by the end of 2022, support 10,000 young people as they venture into careers in the hospitality industry. Projections show that it is expected that 1.5m young people will be unemployed across 2021 at a time of crisis in our industry. The impact of COVID-19 on young people has no doubt raised concerns on the future of their careers, particularly if their career relies on an industry that has been adversely affected by COVID-19 itself. With 97% of young people not considering the industry as a career choice, the work Springboard does to engage and inspire young people in schools has never been more important for the future of our industry. It is crucial that we work together to underpin and support the talent pipeline and thereby future proof our industry whilst simultaneously addressing chef shortages – which we will expect to arise again.
More than ever, we need to keep hospitality careers at the forefront of the students’ career options; by equipping them with the basic skills and knowledge that they need, we can ensure that we have enthusiastic and talented young chefs entering the industry.
Together with our hard work and dedication to the work we continue to do in schools, we are confident that the industry will no doubt bounce back. We will be ready with an inspired, fresh pool of talent.