Hospitality and Recreation

Where are the job opportunities?The hospitality industry is growing fast, but it's also changing. Some people say that you have only to look at the USA to see where the British hospitality industry is going: fast food and lots of it, theme parks and themed restaurants, so many eating places that dining out becomes as common as dining in, and an emphasis on customer service.
There are now more than two million people employed in hospitality in the UK, and by 2004 that is expected to reach 2.5 million. And it's an industry that's changing fast, as anyone with an eye on the news will have noticed.
Not only have there been some major business deals - notably the take-over last year of hotel giant Forte by Granada - but there are some small but significant trends. Who would have thought a few years ago that we'd be ordering take-away pizza from petrol forecourts, for example? Or having coffee and breakfast in a pub?Or paying to cook our own food in a restaurant? These are just some of the offers coming on-stream, and there are undoubtedly more interesting ones to follow.That's the good news. The bad is that the hospitality industry still has problems, above all with its image. But the over-riding message from recruiters is that the low pay and long hours for which hotels and restaurants are famous are becoming a thing of the past. The sheer growth of the industry has meant that employers are putting together far more attractive recruitment packages to attract the right staff. For potential managers the prospects can be tremendous.
Roddy Watt, chief executive of recruitment agency Berkeley Scott, which monitors the industry's pay levels closely, says management salaries in hospitality are increasing ahead of those in other sectors. "I would argue that he industry today is not the poorly paid at all," he says. "I think a lot of that is a hangover from the past. There are some very good packages on offer. A good reason to go into the industry is that there is a continual shortage of top-calibre people, so good qualified people will progress very quickly and can probably expect a similar amount of money to what they would earn in any other industry at an early age".
Hospitality has always been an industry in which bright things and entrepreneurs can succeed, regardless of qualifications, and employers are now realising this. Many say they want personality and charisma rather than a clutch of qualifications.
Steve Mullings, training and development manager at Bourne Leisure, which is expanding its 20-strong chain of holiday parks in the UK and North America, says firmly: "Personality is first. We're looking for outgoing, highly motivated people who are very much focused on business results - the sort of people who would one day want to run their own businesses".
Says Watt: "Good qualifications won't do anybody any harm at all, but I don't think they're by any means a prerequisite. My personal point of view is that very often good qualifications tend to mean 'high intellect' and 'good at doing exams'. These are not necessarily the best competencies for the hospitality industry. It's more important that people are the right type of individual. They've got to like other people".
Tony Goddard, human resources director at Bass Taverns, believes qualifications still count. But he adds: "Having said that, I think this is one of the few industries where you are performance-orientated. You can get as far on your performance as your ability will take you".
Pub restaurants are one of the fastest growing areas of hospitality. Bass recruits about 850 people every year for management positions within the company, and these 130 are graduates who join the company's graduate retail scheme. Within two or three years they can expect to be managing their own pubs, with 30-40 staff and a turnover of well over £1m. Average earnings are £24,000, but some reach £60,000.Goddard says the sheer pace of development in the pub industry means it's a good one to join, as brewers are constantly looking for managers for their new brands.Bass's own include All Bar One and Irish-themed chain O'Neill's. There are increasing opportunities within the chain for people working their way through the ranks. Thirty percent of managers are recruited internally, and Goddard wants to bring this up to 75%.
Laurence Watson, vice president human resources with Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, believes career progression is becoming faster because of better training and planning on the part of firms. "all sectors are becoming more competitive in their rates of pay and benefits packages, and most major groups are revitalising their graduate entry programmes," he says.
However, the hotel industry admits it still has some way to go to catch up with some of the pub and restaurant brands. Jennifer Neary, senior personnel and training manager with County Hotels, part of Queens Moat Houses, admits that she is honest with people she speaks to who want to enter the industry. "I'm not going to say yes, we pay wonderful salaries, because we don't. And as an industry we've got some way to go on that. But one thing I think our company - and probably the industry - does is that it gives fairly young people a lot of responsibility early on. If you show aptitude and the right attitude to work, you're able to progress quite quickly.
"But I say to them: I'm not going to lie to you. You do have to start at the bottom, you've got to learn the basics, and it's long hours and you will be working weekends."Nevertheless, Neary says the company is trying hard not only to make good links with schools and colleges, but to make its positions more attractive to youngsters. "We're working towards trying to get rid of things like split shifts, for example".