With recruitment levels up 18% on last year, the current position for the hospitality sector is looking promising. While these findings from Caterer.com show progression, there has been a major skills shortage in the industry for many years and it will continue to be one of the biggest challenges the industry will face until 2020, as the frequency of dining out is expected to increase significantly.
The British Hospitality Association (BHA) is hoping that the industry will create 236,000 jobs by 2015 and a total of 425,000 by 2020. English tourism is predicted to be one of the biggest drivers of economic growth over the next decade, already worth £106bn (9% of total GDP) supporting 2.6m jobs. By 2025, the value of tourism in England is set to double to over £216bn, providing one in every 10 jobs. However, skills shortages are a major threat to tourism achieving its growth potential.
Chefs in particular are limited with businesses struggling to fill almost half of their chef positions according to a report by Visit England. A lack of skilled chefs could limit the growth of the UK tourism industry which is despite the growth in popularity for ‘foodie’ destinations.
There is a surge in vacancies at higher levels enabling skilled professionals to accelerate their career progression. Being able to maintain high standards in an industry with high customer-facing staff turnover needs stability from above; highly skilled, effective and efficient managers.
The hospitality industry is full of opportunity for growth, personal development, travel and experience. To enhance and progress skills for these industry jobs, online learning is beneficial. You can study while you are working in the industry gaining hands on experience, so it essentially enables you to progress quicker.
About the author
Yukari Iguchi is the Academic Lead, Hospitality and Leisure at the University of Derby Online Learning (UDOL). Yukari has worked in various sectors within the hospitality industry, including hotels, restaurants, bars and theme parks in Japan, Switzerland and the UK.
Since 2012 Yukari joined UDOL to share her knowledge of the hospitality sector with others. During her academic career Yukari also performed a range of roles including Programme Leader for undergraduate hospitality programmes, International Student Coordinator, International Collaborative Project Manager, and Online and Distance Learning Coordinator.
Yukari is interested in the skills shortage issues within the hospitality industry and how educational institutions can make contributions to improve the situation through providing online learning opportunities. She also has keen interests in cultural diversity in both the hospitality industry and educational context, and has a passion on supporting international students within the UK Higher Education.
