People 1st welcomes Government support of hospitality industry traineeships

13-May-2013 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2021 at 17:33 GMT

The Government has pledged to make traineeships available to unemployed young people, a move which could help the hospitality industry

People 1st has welcomed an announcement from the Government that it is planning to introduce traineeships for 16 to 19-year-olds later this year and has said it should help the hospitality industry by helping to 'bridge skills gaps'.

Following a discussion paper which was published in January, the Department for Education (DfE) has now confirmed it will launch a traineeship programme in August in order to support young unemployed people gain the skills needed to get on the career ladder.

The traineeships, which will fit into broader study programmes for 16 to 19-year-olds, will last for up to six months and are designed to get people ready for employment or an apprenticeship.

Career pathways

Martin-Christian Kent, product development director for sector skills council People 1st, said the new programme could help address skills gaps which often leave young people unprepared for roles in the hospitality industry.

“Our recent State of the Nation research report has highlighted the need for more people to enter the hospitality industry and develop their skills along a robust career path if we are going to meet the higher skills and management needs of the sector," he explained.

"Given the industry is going to require 660,200 new people between now and 2020 – of which approximately one third are needed in these higher roles – we have to start developing these pathways now to ensure that we meet the sector’s needs in the future.

“Employers across the sector see traineeships as an opportunity to strengthen career pathways," he added.

Concerns

However there are fears that the traineeships, which will include a work placement, training and English and maths skills, will be too limited and will not be linked to specific sectors - such as hospitality.

"It is disappointing that that they have been restricted to 16-19, as the original proposals for 16-24 would have provided greater opportunities," said Kent.

A DfE spokesperson has since confirmed that the plan is to extend the programme to include 20 to 24-year-olds in due course.

“We would also like to see them linked far more to sector career paths, rather than leaving it up to the providers to develop their content," Kent added.

"While we recognise traineeships needs to be tailored to meet individual trainee and employer needs, our experience with pre-employment training shows that too many programmes leave employers confused and don’t deliver the skills they need."

People 1st has therefore announced it is looking to develop a sector-specific traineeship in partnership with industry employers.