Speaking at the Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase in Parliament Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, called on the Government to support the hospitality industry.
The event coincides with National Apprenticeship Week, which aims to shine a light on the hospitality industry as a rewarding career choice and applaud apprenticeship success stories across the country.
Nicholls said: “Apprenticeships are a key part of that job creation and starts in the sector increased by 15% last year while many other sectors experienced decline.
“They help provide opportunities at all levels across the UK and they are hugely valuable when it comes to upskilling the workforce. They help provide real career progression and are key to getting people off entry level wages.
“We still face labour shortages, though, particularly in hard-to-fill vacancies, and businesses need appropriate support from Government if they are going to achieve more.
“The Apprenticeship Levy was introduced to help businesses provide more apprenticeships, but it is clear that it isn’t working for all businesses. It needs reviewing to increase flexibility and make sure it is appropriate for businesses of all sizes.”
The hospitality industry has created half a million jobs over the past decade and it has the potential to create hundreds of more jobs over the next decade. The sector employs 3.2 million people across the UK, which is equivalent to 10% of employment.