Catering and hospitality... in detail

What does it involve?

There are many places you could work if you had a job in the hospitality industry. Think about the places where people need to be entertained, looked after or where they stay when they’re away from home.... guest houses, pubs and bars, leisure clubs, schools, hospitals, factories, hotels, planes .… shall I go on?

You might be creating, preparing or serving food, making sure that accommodation, such as hotel rooms or conference suites, is ready for the next guests, greeting people at a reception desk or running your own bar.

You need to be hard-working and reliable, have good people skills and will often work unsociable hours. People who work in the hospitality industry are usually working when other people are enjoying their leisure time!

What’s happening in the industry?

The hospitality industry is one of the biggest growth areas in the UK. The fast food industry in particular is growing which means there are more jobs preparing and serving fast food than there are in expensive restaurants. There are also trends based on customer demand so it’s worth finding out which are the best skills to get—for example, at the moment there’s a high demand for pastry chefs and baristas (people who serve expresso coffee). Shortages are also predicted for managers, chefs and housekeepers.

There’s a large turnover of staff within hotels and catering. This means that as people leave their jobs they need to be replaced with skilled workers but there are not enough people to fill those jobs. The skills employers are looking for include customer care, communication, ICT and basic skills.

Nottinghamshire information

How to get into this type of work

Your Personal Adviser will be able to discuss your options with you.

School or college - study for GCSES, AS / A levels, NVQs or other vocational qualifications that could lead to a job, an Apprenticeship, further qualifications or even a degree.

e2e (Entry to Employment) - if you’re not sure if you’re suited to this job you might be able to get some work experience through e2e. It can also give you extra support to gain the right qualifications, get onto a training programme or get a job.

Apprenticeship - train ‘on-the-job’ with a wage or allowance. For the latest Apprenticeship vacancies in Nottinghamshire go to Vacancies Online.

Work or work with training.

Which skills?

Team work
Customer service
Communication

What else can I do?

Get some work experience.
Brush up on some of your skills such as communication, customer care and ICT.
Read about catering and hospitality work on Jobs4U or look for the online EClips job descriptions in your school or nearest Connexions centre.
Talk to your Personal Adviser.

For courses go to MyChoiceNotts

For job and training vacancies go to Vacancies Online

For more job info go to Jobs4U

For useful links go to Fetch!