TRAINING
flexible How
apprenticeships could benefit your business Jill Whittaker (pictured below), managing director at HIT Training, explores the value of apprenticeships in attracting and retaining talent. RECRUITING AND RETAINING After a tumultuous couple of years for restaurant operators, many continue to face significant staff shortages. Not only is it a challenge to recruit the right people with the right skills, but it’s also often hard to keep hold of them. The Coronavirus pandemic has brought about lasting changes to how we look at work and what we expect from our jobs. Periods of significant stress have resulted in a cultural shift, as workers reflect on what work really means to them and how it fits into their life. It’s more important than ever for hospitality managers to invest in their teams – retaining the talented individuals they have, while also offering clear career pathways that are attractive to people coming into their industry. A big part of this is the provision of training, both for those new to the sector and to help existing employees to upskill and reskill. Not only will this investment go a long way to fostering job satisfaction and loyalty, it will also reap rewards in the greater efficiency created by improving the skills of your workforce. Apprenticeships are one of the best ways for hospitality firms to provide continual learning for their teams, whether to progress existing staff or 40
to quickly train new starters. And new flexible training models being explored by the government could present meaningful opportunities for operators and their employees in 2022. How can flexible apprenticeship models benefit your business?
‘FRONT-LOADING’ OR ‘FLEXING’ YOUR TRAINING Apprenticeships are often relied on to help unlock skills quickly and to allow motivated staff to fast-track into positions where they can provide real value. New flexible working patterns could make that process even faster. Under plans for a new ‘front-loading’ approach, apprentices would be able to receive intensive off the job training before they begin their formal responsibilities. Essentially, this would teach important skills and technical knowledge from the outset, while key behaviours and practical skills will continue to be embedded throughout the full apprenticeship programme. For venues struggling with staff shortages, front-loaded training could prove invaluable in helping apprentices to hit the ground running and make a real contribution to their workplaces from the very start. For example, many www.pizzapastamagazine.co.uk
