“The UK hospitality industry is the third largest private-sector employer. It’s twice the size of financial services with a £130bn turnover, representing 5% of GDP”
Detail of the Government’s points-based immigration system has sent a ripple of discontent through the industry. Firstly, for the implication of workers being ‘low skilled’. Trust me, I’ve been a KP, waitress, bar manager, McDonald’s crew member and a hotel receptionist – it’s hard, and there’s definitely skill involved.
Then there’s the issue of just how it’ll work without our colleagues from out with the UK. Britain’s hospitality industry is the third largest private-sector employer. It’s twice the size of financial services with a £130bn turnover, representing 5% of GDP. Currently, around 25% of the sector are non-UK nationals.
With the UK fast becoming known as a culinary entity, the industry’s skills need to be up to scratch. UK Hospitality predicts we need to recruit 22,000 chefs by 2022, so we need to be nurturing talent, encouraging hospitality as a career and shaking off conceptions that it’s low skilled.
For almost 50 years, National Chef of the Year (NCOTY) and Young National Chef of the Year (YNCOTY) have been doing just that. Not only nurturing culinary talent, but instilling the importance of networking – connecting the industry, showcasing hospitality as a great career and inspiring others to foster their passion for food.
We were delighted to join supplier partners and chefs this week at Fortnum & Mason to hear more about this year’s YNCOTY and NCOTY competitions.
Last year’s NCOTY winner Steve Groves, head chef at Roux Parliament Square, talked about his positive experience for him and his commis chef. The big draw for Steve was getting feedback from the top chefs in the business, such as Sat Bains, Ollie Dabbous, and Lisa Goodwin-Allen. William Keeble from Whatley Manor, last year’s YNCOTY winner, wanted to use the competition to see how he compared to his peers. He said: “It’s a career changing opportunity.”
We learned more about the evolution of the competition for 2020, and how the YNCOTY competition is supporting youngsters with their personal branding on social media, how to look after their mental health & wellbeing and giving coaching on the importance of provenance and sustainability.
It’s events like this that reinforce why hospitality is such a great place to work; one that cares about its talent and collaborates to achieve joint goals.
