• 7,063 young people have been supported into work in the hospitality industry, reaching 70% of their target to help 10,000 people into work by the end of the year

• £5m has been raised by the industry to fund the project and support its talent pipeline

• Lead partner Savoy Educational Trust has surpassed its target and has directly supported 1,077 young people into work in hospitality through the courses it has funded

UK hospitality charity Springboard is celebrating the impressive milestone of supporting more than 7,000 individuals to find employment in the hospitality industry through their initiative Springboard to 2022. The project aims to help 10,000 unemployed young people in finding work in the industry by the end of the year.

Launched to help the industry rebuild from the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, ‘Springboard to 2022’ is the industry solution to tackling hospitality, leisure, and tourism’s long-term staffing crisis. The team supports leading industry businesses by ensuring they have access to a skilled and engaged talent pipeline ready for the industry.

19-year-old Nizor Lok Noshock from Stirling used a Springboard training course to help her secure her role working in the Garden Restaurant at Kimpton Charlotte Square in Edinburgh. Nizor was the 7,000^th individual to find work in the hospitality industry with the help of Springboard to 2022.

Commenting on her experience, Nizor said: “I heard about Springboard through the Job Centre and it was the best decision I ever made. After getting an interview with the Kimpton hotel, I was able to put my training into practice, and I was delighted to be offered a place in the Garden Restaurant.

“I absolutely love it because everyone is open, friendly, helpful and patient. I’m learning and progressing every day and I think my life can only get better now that I found a job I love.”

Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard, said: “This is a significant milestone for our employment initiative, Springboard to 2022, and it has been fantastic to see the great progress we have been making with the help of our project partners; Savoy Educational Trust, Barclays, BaxterStorey, Diageo and Trusthouse Charitable Foundation.

“It is incredibly positive to see business picking up, but staffing remains the biggest challenge. It is something I see every day and is impacting growth for many hospitality businesses.”

Springboard to 2022 also celebrated two other major milestones this month. The project’s lead partner Savoy Educational Trust supported 1,077 young people into hospitality roles through courses it had funded. Meanwhile, Springboard also hit the fundraising target of £5m required to deliver the two-year goal of helping 10,000 young people secure hospitality jobs.

Springboard supports young people into jobs in the hospitality industry via its employability training programmes that includes one-to-one mentoring, soft skills and employability development (confidence, work attitude, CV building, interview practice, time management), practical industry and hard skills training including food safety and customer service, as well as access to work experience placements. 

For more information on Springboard to 2022, visit https://springboard.uk.net/support-us/springboard-to-2022/