The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now confirmed the programme will include paid employment alongside work experience and training for 18 to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
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Pub and hospitality operators involved include Stonegate, Fuller’s, Mitchells & Butlers, Whitbread, Nando’s, Burger King, Wagamama, Marriott and McDonald’s.
The partnership has been developed with UKHospitality and will also include expanded support for the Hospitality Skills Passport.
First step into work
Stonegate Group chief executive David McDowall said hospitality had a “unique ability” to give young people their first opportunity in work.
He said: “That’s exactly what happened to me, starting as a part-time member of bar staff when I was 18. At Stonegate, we see every day the contribution young people make to our business. That’s why we’re proud to support this campaign and its ambition to create 100,000 opportunities.”
The Government said almost six in 10 young people currently classed as NEET had never had a job.
Skills and recruitment
UKHospitality chief executive Allen Simpson said the sector remained the “number one employer of young people in the economy”.
He said: “This announcement demonstrates the Government’s recognition of hospitality as a critical sector to solve the NEETs crisis and we’re pleased to work together on this partnership to target 100,000 job opportunities for NEET young people.”
Simpson added that expanding access to the Hospitality Skills Passport would form a “significant pillar” of the work.
The Government has also introduced £3,000 hiring incentives for employers as part of wider measures aimed at increasing employment opportunities for young people.
