Supporters of the world’s biggest hospitality recruitment campaign, Hospitality Rising, are calling for more suppliers to get involved in the initiative to help solve the sector’s crippling job crisis.
Currently nine in 10 Hospitality Rising supporters are operators and, as the campaign heads into its second year, a second round of fundraising, and a summer of activity targeting education leavers, the movement is hoping to attract more suppliers to become supporters.
The collaborative campaign, which brings together companies of all sizes, from all sectors of the industry, has created two new packages, Platinum and Gold, for suppliers looking to join the cause.
Rob Pitcher, CEO of Revolution Bars Group, one of the original supporters of the initiative, said: “The workforce crisis is showing no signs of easing and is only piling the pressure on businesses already suffering from soaring food and drink inflation not to mention energy costs. Due to staff shortages, some businesses are being forced to curtail trading hours and others have already had to close their doors for good. We are so grateful for the support of those suppliers already on board and would love to see more join the cause. It makes good business sense for suppliers to join forces with operators to try solve the workforce crisis and keep more businesses open but it also demonstrates a clear understanding of the challenges we face and is a move to help share the pain.”
Steve Richards, CEO of Parkdean Resorts, also an early supporter of the cause, said: “It has been heartening to see the industry come together under the Hospitality Rising umbrella in order to tackle the continued staff shortages that are affecting operators of every size. We’ve already achieved some great results from the Rise Fast, Work Young campaign and, by expanding our network of supportive suppliers even further, we will be able to build on this momentum, showcase the huge range of rewarding, life-long careers and attract yet more talent to our fantastic sector.”
Hospitality Rising’s inaugural campaign, Rise Fast, Work Young, has already gained some impressive results, generating over 4,000 applications each week since it launched in October
The initiative is already backed by some of the biggest names in the UK, including Whitbread, Pret, Welcome Break, Hilton, Soho House, Prezzo, Revolution Bars Group, Parkdean Resorts, Claridge’s, J W Lees and The Pig. Celebrity chefs including Tom Kerridge, Angela Hartnett and Raymond Blanc OBE, have also generously leant their time and support.
On the supplier-side, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, hospitality tech supplier Zonal, and guest WI-FI based marketing solution, Wireless Social, sponsor the initiative. Other sponsors include: Hit Training, H.G. Stephensons, SPE Resourcing, Airship, Propeller Communications and Fourth.
Businesses looking to join the movement should register their interest by emailing hello@hospitalityrising.org