As the trade body representing the whole hospitality sector, this provides an opportunity for even greater employer involvement in creating the optimum route to a skilled workforce. The role will cover skills in secondary, further and higher education - with a renewed focus on apprenticeships and other in-work training.
Kelly commented: “Joining UKHospitality is a fantastic move for me and allows me to deliver on my passion – providing hospitality employees with the skills they need to succeed. I am thrilled to be able to bring a focus on skills policy development to UKHospitality and ensure the voice of our employer membership is central to setting this skills agenda with a united voice into Government.”
UKHospitality will continue to work with industry partners, training providers and educational institutions to provide ‘the perfect pathway’ for people of all ages to realise their ambitions to join and grow in hospitality. It will focus on short-term challenges but also look to fix the pathway into, and upwards, in hospitality for the long-term.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, added: “Hospitality is facing a workforce crisis. We are determined to tackle this for the fantastic businesses in the sector and to provide fulfilling jobs that boost social mobility. I am delighted to welcome Sandra and her wealth of knowledge and experience to the team to drive this forward.
“This appointment allows us to look at the short-term opportunities to tackle our current labour crisis but also to ensure there is a pipeline of talent that ensures we have great people joining hospitality and experiencing the opportunities we can provide.”