This comes after the campaign, which was formed in 2021 by ex-Pret A Manger and YO Sushi! marketing chief Mark McCulloch, won official support from the Hospitality & Tourism Sector Skills Board (HTSB), making it the official industry response to the recruitment crisis.
McCulloch said: “To be approved as the industry’s official campaign and response to the recruitment crisis is amazing. It means we can really accelerate what we are doing with Hospitality Rising, we can now go stratospheric.
Call to action
“We see this approval as a call to action for industry colleagues to come together and get behind the campaign, not just emotionally but importantly, financially too, as we seek to build a campaign war-chest.
“This will allow us to drive our message out to the UK public, tell all our fabulous stories and make hospitality a positive career choice for the very many, not the few.”
Hospitality Rising has encouraged employers to invest in the campaign by pledging just £10 per employee, while the HTSB will work into the joint Government and industry initiative, the newly created Hospitality Sector Council, in the first time the industry has pulled together to drive a national campaign of this nature.
Latest figures from UKHospitality show there are 400,000 vacancies across the hospitality sector and a further 100,000 staff absences, meaning day-to-day the industry is missing half a million workers, or more than 20% of the workforce.
Vital intervention
UKHospitality boss Kate Nicholls said: “The campaign cannot come soon enough. Our latest research shows the issues of recruitment and skills are absolutely mission critical to the hospitality and tourism sectors.”
The latest stamp of approval followed support from a host of employers, including Athenaeum, Buzzworks, DRG, Hawksmoor, Hilton, The Pig Hotel & Limewood Group, Punch Pubs, Rosa's Thai, Wahaca, Welcome Break and more, with Pret A Manger the latest to confirm its endorsement.
Nicholls added: “Many of our members are struggling with a significant level of vacancies; this campaign will enable hospitality to stage a vital intervention and turn on a generation to the rich and varied roles and career pathways that our vibrant industry offers.”