The project, which was launched to help the hospitality industry rebuild from the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, is aiming to help 10,000 unemployed young people into the industry by the end of the year.
Nineteen year-old Nizor Lok Noshock from Stirling used a Springboard training course to secure her role working in the Garden Restaurant at Kimpton Charlotte Square in Edinburgh. She was the 7,000th individual to find work in the hospitality industry with the help of the charity.
Commenting on her experience, Nizor said: “I heard about Springboard through the job centre and it was the best decision I ever made. After getting an interview with the Kimpton hotel, I was able to put my training into practice, and I was delighted to be offered a place in the Garden Restaurant. I absolutely love it because everyone is open, friendly, helpful and patient. I'm learning and progressing every day and I think my life can only get better now that I found a job I love.”
The project’s lead partner Savoy Educational Trust supported 1,077 young people into hospitality roles through courses it had funded. Springboard also hit the fundraising target of £5m required to deliver the two-year goal of helping 10,000 young people secure hospitality jobs.
Springboard supports young people into jobs in the hospitality industry via its employability training programmes that includes one-to-one mentoring, soft skills and employability development (confidence, work attitude, CV building, interview practice, time management), practical industry and hard skills training including food safety and customer service, as well as access to work experience placements.
Chris Gamm, chief executive of Springboard, added: “This is a significant milestone for our employment initiative, Springboard to 2022, and it has been fantastic to see the great progress we have been making with the help of our project partners; Savoy Educational Trust, Barclays, BaxterStorey, Diageo and Trusthouse Charitable Foundation.
"It is incredibly positive to see business picking up, but staffing remains the biggest challenge. It is something I see every day and is impacting growth for many hospitality businesses.”