A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

Hospitality offers opportunities for a better future for South African youth

The tourism industry has been one of the hardest hit by Covid-19. In 2019, the sector contributed seven per cent to GDP — now, as a result of the pandemic, it contributes a mere four per cent. As such, it is vital to find new ways to revive tourism, such as the recent rise of digital nomads and ‘workations’.

By Harpreet Singh Chhatwal, area senior HR director – Middle East & Africa, Radisson Hotel Group

Young people make up a third of South Africa’s population, around 17.84 million South Africans. Yet they are also the population group most affected by unemployment, according to Stats SA, with a record per cent unemployed in the first quarter of 2020 — and the pandemic has only further exacerbated the challenge of youth unemployment in the country.

With such high unemployment rates, it might seem like there aren’t many opportunities available for young South Africans to make a better life for themselves. However, one sector could play a vital role in reducing youth unemployment.

The travel, tourism and hospitality industry, as a whole, is one of the largest employers in the country, contributing 4.5 per cent of total employment in South Africa in 2018 and employing more than 740,000 South Africans in that year alone. As the world begins returning to a semblance of normal, and more people are able to travel, the industry is expected to experience an economic boom leading to more job opportunities being created. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) notes that the hospitality industry is one of the top job-creating sectors and has a significant multiplier effect on employment in other related sectors, estimating that every new job created in the hospitality sector supports 1,5 jobs along the supply chain and proportionately boosts the economies of local communities.

More than employment, though, the hospitality industry also offers South Africa’s youth a wide range of opportunities for growth and development as well as a sense of purpose and dignity.

The right attitude

The hospitality industry is unique in its recruitment process as it places skills and attitude over any formal qualification.

Additionally, it has interesting challenges as employees’ interface with people from different cultures and backgrounds daily. Each guest is unique and, when working in the industry, an employee will have to hone the right skills – think good communication and plenty of emotional intelligence – to explore what guests need and be able to offer the hotel’s solutions in line with the guest’s requirements.

Even so, not having the right skills is not always viewed as a disadvantage. For example, the Radisson Hotel Group offers soft-skill learning programmes through its Radisson Academy, where complex topics are taught in bite-sized training modules that are engaging and offer guidelines on how to practice these skills, so that they become habitual.

Additionally, Radisson has a robust on-the-job skills training programme that assists young people in acquiring life skills, as well as actual job training even without any prior experience or education. Radisson’s HR initiatives have also been digitalised and all positions are now advertised on a single, state-of-theart recruitment platform where anyone may apply. To take a more holistic approach to recruitment, applicants are not only considered for the position they have applied for, but their full potential is explored to see whether they are more suitable for another position, enabling more young people to develop a career in the industry.

Well-suited to an ever-changing landscape

Looking at today’s youth, it’s clear they are a bold and adventurous generation. They are willing to explore opportunities and try new things, are keen to interact with people from different cultures, and are more open to being a global citizen. The hospitality industry offers the opportunity to experience all of this as no day is the same as another and employees are exposed to a diverse range of people from myriad cultural backgrounds. With a wide variety of departments and locations around the world, the industry offers something for everyone — from careers

While hospitality may be very demanding (a hotel is a 24/7, 365 business), it offers young people ample opportunities to dip their toes into the job market. Educated or not, skilled or not, opportunities for learning are rife and the experience and skills garnered may be applied across other industries too, for those looking to make the jump at a later stage. There are many success stories where young people have entered the industry at the bottom-most level, whether it be as a porter or front desk clerk, and have gone on to become managers of hotels.

The industry’s door is wide open and young South Africans are most welcome to step inside.

Who is Harpreet Singh Chhartwal?

In his role, Harpreet Singh Chhartwal oversees all aspects of talent for 100 hotels in operation and development and the Radisson Hotel Group offices in Dubai, UAE and Cape Town, South Africa. Harpreet has worked across India, Singapore and now in Dubai. Harpreet holds a bachelors degree in hotel management and a postgraduate certificate in human resource management. He is a certified hospitality educator, certified emergenetics associate and certified user of SHL psychometrics. He is passionate about people development and loves studying organisational behaviour and psychology. within the core functions of a hotel, such as food and beverage management, to support functions in human resources and finance.