Of all the sectors in the UK, hospitality has perhaps been hit the hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, with repeated lockdowns and tier restrictions preventing restaurants, bars, hotels and cafes from trading.
Recognised by many as a challenging career to embark on, hospitality runs the risk of becoming less appealing after the trials and tribulations of 2020. But apprenticeships remain a way of starting out in what is a competitive industry, with the opportunity to undertake training at a range of levels and in a multitude of roles, from bartenders and front-of-house staff to chefs and managers.
“The big thing about apprenticeships is they give a broad education,” says Jill Whittaker, managing director at HIT Training, a specialist training provider for the UK’s hospitality industry. “Apprentices are not stuck on a production line in a kitchen doing just one job – their experience is varied.” HIT offers training and apprenticeships from basic short courses to full apprenticeships, starting at intermediate level 2 hospitality team member and going up to level 7 senior leader – the equivalent of a master’s degree, delivered in association with Arden University.
It’s also important to recognise that the industry is about more than serving food and drink. “It’s more convenient to talk about hospitality, the third-biggest sector in the UK, as if it’s just this raft of unskilled people who wander in, pull a pint and then go home.” The reality is far from that, says Whittaker, with hospitality developing a whole range of skilled workers. “Hospitality employers say they are forever having their really good staff poached by retail companies or other companies because of their skills.”
For Julie Crump, chief operations officer at bespoke wedding catering business Caviar & Chips, whose owners also opened a pub in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, a week before the first lockdown in 2020, apprenticeships are vital in training the next generation of the hospitality industry. The company works with University College Birmingham to offer a front-of-house placement and a kitchen placement in the wedding business, and will also be running apprenticeships at its pub, The Virgins & Castle, in partnership with Warwickshire county council. Like Whittaker, she thinks hospitality is often under-estimated. “It’s not just about putting food on a plate and taking it to a table. We want to make sure people have a start and see it as a career.”
Last year proved difficult, she admits, with apprentices’ trial shifts having to be postponed every time the business was forced to close, but she hopes the torrid time won’t put people off a career in hospitality. “It’s an exciting and innovative industry to work in and there’s different concepts coming out all the time.”
To help encourage people, Crump says they are trying to change the idea that hospitality is a “hard and horrible place to work”, by making sure staff don’t work endless hours with no breaks, get fed and watered on shift and get rotas in advance so they can plan their time. “It’s about trying to be a better employer so people can be the best of themselves and be happy at work. We’re not saying there won’t be hard days and hard times, but it should be about having a positive career and bettering yourself.”
Experience: ‘An apprenticeship offered me the opportunity to earn a living and secure a future’
Karl Svendsen turned his back on a law degree to train as a barista. Now, he’s a store manager and looking to take on the next career challenge
When Karl Svendsen became a father in 2019, he decided providing financially for his new family took priority. That meant the difficult decision to leave university where he was studying for a law degree and instead embark on an apprenticeship as a barista with Caffè Nero through HIT Training, a training and apprenticeship provider for the hospitality and catering industry. “An apprenticeship offered me the perfect opportunity to earn a living, kickstart my career and secure a comfortable future for me and my family,” said Svendsen, from Liverpool. “Initially, having little experience working as a barista created a steep learning curve for me as I started my apprenticeship. Putting my ego aside, and asking for help, I was put on to a six-week learning plan to help me develop my knowledge, skill set and behaviours.” That resulted in a promotion to shift leader, allowing him to expand his skills even further.
Svendsen faced an obstacle to his apprenticeship journey when he and his partner separated, leading to him moving temporarily to Manchester. Despite the move, he and his area manager worked together to make sure he could complete an apprenticeship as he “sofa surfed” and adjusted to his new life. Svendsen finished his apprenticeship in full, achieving a distinction. He was given the opportunity to advance from shift leader to store manager in just 15 months as part of a hospitality supervisor apprenticeship, enabling him to take the next step in his career.
“By taking on the role of store manager in one of the Liverpool stores, I was immediately able to make positive changes,” he said. “My apprenticeship gave me the tools I needed to launch an investigation into the store’s discrepancies with stock taking. I then confidently delivered training to staff to prevent this issue from happening in future, and within three months the missing margin was brought back within the target percentage.” On top of that, he took responsibility for writing rotas to ensure hours were fairly distributed, as well as leading on inventory management and recruitment for his store and two others in the area.
Svendsen reflects: “My apprenticeship pushed me outside my comfort zone, encouraging me to go headfirst into situations that I felt less comfortable or capable of tackling otherwise. The training has encouraged me to take more time to reflect on my own learning and how I communicate with my team. This has culminated in more confidence to take on greater challenges and motivates me to look for opportunities where I’d previously have doubted myself.”
