Speaking at the Master Innholders Hotel General Managers’ Conferencelast week, the British Hospitality Association (BHA) chief executive proclaimed that the hospitality industry ‘is leading the UK economy and can provide hope for the future of Britain if it is given the right amount of support by Government’.
But she added that hotels, restaurants and pubs across the UK must first help the Government to achieve its target of creating 410,000 new jobs by 2015 by taking on more apprentices and employees.
This audio clip summarises some of the key points made by Ibrahim in her speech entitled ‘Walk the Talk’ at the Conference which was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Leading the economy
Ibrahim said: “In 2012, one third of all new jobs created in the UK, were created by the hospitality industry. So you should all be very proud that, within our economy, we really do stand out from manufacturing, engineering, financial services and retail - we are leading the UK economy.
“We have about 200,000 establishments across the UK. If each one of these establishments actually stepped forward and said ‘I can make an opportunity prevalent for a young person’ – that would give 200,000 job offers for young people over the next three years.
“But it would be completely unfair of me to stand here and ask you all to walk the talk with us if we, the BHA, were not going to make a pledge of our own.
“Our pledge is to champion this message with Government; that this is the solution to the unemployment problem and this is the actual benefactor for British youth looking forward in search for their future.
Hospitality & Tourism Summit
“Please walk the talk with us and help us to achieve this.”
Ibrahim also announced that the Hospitality and Tourism Summit will be held on 11 June 2013, to which the Prime Minister and senior members of Government will be invited. “It will be an opportunity to celebrate loudly the potential of the industry to let the Government know what we are doing,” she said.