Perceptions Group vice-chairman Anthony Pender is pushing for the government to be more supportive of the hospitality industry following Labour’s claim that long-term youth unemployment is costing taxpayers more than £180m a year:
Thousands of jobs out there
“With 2015 being an election year, it is vital that we make sure that the political parties are aware of the economic importance of the hospitality industry,” said Pender in response to the shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Rachel Reeves’ comments. “Youth unemployment has always been a challenge for the government, however there are thousands of jobs out there but more support is needed to help educate and inform students, teachers and careers advisors about vast range of opportunities that exist within this vibrant sector.”
848,000 workers needed by 2020
People 1st, the sector skills organization for the hospitality sector, predict that this area alone will need an additional 848,000 workers by 2020 with 1 in 4 of these being within the pub and bar sector.
“The misconception arises when people think about pubs and bars – they cannot see further than the part-time, pocket money options. The truth is a young person can progress quickly, learning all the skills required to run a business and take responsibility for a premises that would typically turn over in excess of £1 Million. That’s big business,” said Pender.
Career opportunities
The licensed hospitality sector creates 1 in 6 of all new jobs for 18 –24 year olds. Alongside the hundreds of thousands of front-line staff are the business support functions including HR; finance; marketing; sales; logistics and the like where onward progression to director and board level opportunities open up.
“Many of the senior directors that run the pub companies of today started their career behind a bar. The likes of Stonegate Pub Company’s Chairman Ian Payne – he started life behind the bar at the Bull at Barming, near Maidstone, and now runs the UK’s largest privately held managed pub operator in the UK, with revenues in excess of half a billion pounds, employing over 12,000 people. There are many other successes of similar ilk,” added Pender.
Part of the unemployment solution
The pub and bar sector is a major employer, both directly and indirectly, supporting the thousands of small businesses within local communities up and down the country. Last year the sector created 37,000 new jobs with over 80% of these going to 18-24 year olds. A report by Oxford Economics, commission by the British Beer and Pub Association confirmed the positive impact on both the local and national economy demonstrating that within retail and brewing in the region of 1 million jobs are sustained with circa £13bn in wages paid.
“A multitude of entry routes are open to those looking to get into work. From traineeships and apprenticeships to graduate programmes. We really are an industry that is part of the unemployment solution,” added Pender.
About the Perceptions Group
The Perceptions group is made up of industry professionals including: Chairman: Keith Knowles, CEO, Beds & Bars Group; Vice Chairman: Anthony Pender, Managing Director, Yummy Pubs; representatives from the professional trade associations British Beer and Pubs Association; Associations of Licensed Multiple Retailers; British Institute of Innkeeping; All party Parliamentary Beer Group.
Anthony Pender is the Vice Chairman of Perceptions Group, Managing Director of Yummy Pub Co and Chairman of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII)
Pub & Bar Careers is a not-for-profit industry initiative set up by the Perceptions Group. It was created to challenge the negative image of careers within the industry and to encourage young people to look at the sector as somewhere where they can pursue a rewarding career.
A new Pub & Bar Careers website is launching early this year. The current website is here
Follow us on Twitter @PubnBarCareers