Jon Davies Blog - Apprenticeships Key in Moving Forward Post Pandemic

I started my journey into hospitality via a graduate scheme and can see the many parallels between apprenticeships. There’s nothing quite like learning on the job to find out how serious your employer is when it comes to career progression. That is one of the reasons why I champion investment in developing careers and learning within Compass Group UK & Ireland.

The impact of the pandemic on hospitality

Hospitality has been one of the most impacted sectors during the COVID crisis and there is a real danger that we will lose a generation of talent who will drift away from contract catering, restaurants, hotels and other foodservice jobs in search of better career opportunities.

Here at Compass, we’re determined not to let that happen – we’ve always been proud of the role food and support services plays within the hospitality sector. The motivated and passionate people within our industry are essential to helping the economy recover as we move forward post-lockdown and operations and venues begin to reopen. Therefore, access to training and skills has never been more important. 

Developing our people

We have used this time to create a new vision of how we can offer career development across both culinary and operational roles, no matter the stage of your career or whether you have had any formal education up to this point. We will be partnering with some well-known industry names with decades of experience to share, as well as established institutions responsible for giving thousands of people their break into the world of hospitality.

Our training syllabus will be focused on all aspects of what it takes to make it in hospitality – not just what goes on the plate but how it’s produced and grown; why menu choice matters both environmentally and commercially; and learning new management skills in the face of an ever-changing industry. Whether you are starting your career at Level 2 looking for an excellent grounding in the basics or are gearing up for top-level career development at Masters-level 7, we aim to offer top quality opportunities and access to the best in the business in terms of educational delivery and industry knowledge.

Watch this space for more news about our vision and how it can build a better future.