People 1st says Government plans on traineeships will help address skills gaps in sector

Under plans drawn up by the Department of Education, traineeships will be available for roles across the hospitality industry to help young people further develop the skills gained during pre-employment training.

The traineeships will be offered to young people who are not employed, have little work experience, are qualified below level three in the National Qualifications Framework, and who have a reasonable chance of being ready for employment or an apprenticeship within six months of starting a traineeship.

People 1st product development director Martin-Christian Kent claimed the traineeships will provide the hospitality industry with the chance to strengthen career pathways and address skills gaps.

“Given the industry is going to require 660,200 new people between now and 2020 – of which approximately one-third are needed in these higher roles – we have to start developing these pathways now to ensure that we meet the sector’s needs in the future.”

However, Kent said it was disappointing that the traineeships have been restricted to 16 to 19-year-olds, as original proposals to cover traineeships up to the age of 24 “would have provided greater opportunities”.

Kent added that he would also like to see the apprenticeships linked far more to sector career paths, rather than leaving it up to the providers to develop their content.

“While we recognise traineeships needs to be tailored to meet individual trainee and employer needs, our experience with pre-employment training shows that too many programmes leave employers confused and don’t deliver the skills they need.”

To address these concerns, People 1st is preparing to work with employers to develop a sector-specific traineeship.