A quintet of industry bodies have joined forces to launch a free support service to help people within hospitality, leisure and tourism who’ve lost their jobs or are struggling to find work as a result of Covid-19.
CareerScope is an online industry hub that provides easy to access content on everything from CV writing and career webinars to redundancy advice, financial support and health and wellbeing resources.
A digital training academy will also keep those out of work up to date on essential training, from customer service and food safety, to confidence and assertiveness webinars.
Live from today, it has been launched by UK Hospitality, Springboard, Hospitality Action, the Institute of Hospitality and the Savoy Educational Trust.
Some of the biggest names in hospitality have backed the initiative, including Michel Roux Jr, Clare Smyth, Raymond Blanc, Alastair Storey, Wendy Bartlett and Danny Pecorelli, who jointly refer to the project as a “vital initiative for protecting the future of their workforce”.
Michel Roux Jr, chef patron of Le Gavroche, said: “Each year thousands of young people come to work in our industry, but Covid-19 has forced many businesses to lay off staff to survive. Post-Covid and post Brexit, I really fear for the future generation of young chefs, waiters, restaurateurs and hoteliers.
“As an industry we had to do something about it. In a time of crisis, it’s never been more important to look after our people, ensure they are happy, healthy and ready for work. We must be ready to welcome back those who have long and established careers in the industry, as well as ensuring the next generation of workers are coming through. This is a great initiative and shows that, even when the industry is going through its toughest period, we really care about our people.”