£1,000 on offer to get more islanders working in hospitality

Wednesday 03 February 2016

Another programme to get locally-qualified jobseekers into the hospitality industry has been launched by Social Security - with more than £1,000 in wages, paid by the government, for the right person.

The 2016 Hospitality Programme gives Islanders who have not worked in hospitality before the chance to get the basic skills needed to work in the industry. It also gives employers the opportunity to recruit and train locally-qualified jobseekers with financial support from Back to Work.

Back to Work will fund trainees’ wages at the minimum wage for up to four weeks while they are being trained in their new role. For the employer to receive financial support, the trainee must be a locally-qualified jobseeker who has little or no experience in the industry.

As well as giving candidates the opportunity to gain practical skills in a hospitality environment, Back to Work will also provide trainees with the opportunity to secure industry certificated qualifications ranging from health and food safety, to customer service.

The Social Security Assistant Minister, Deputy Graham Truscott, said: “There are a lot of vacancies in this sector, and with this initiative jobseekers will have a great opportunity to get a start in the industry. The programme also provides employers with an incentive to recruit new staff at no financial cost for the first four weeks of their employment.

I’m sure employers will be quick to recognise this as a great way to train new staff for the hospitality sector according to their business needs, ready for the season ahead.”