The hospitality industry’s growing recruitment issues are a legacy issue, exacerbated (until Covid-19 hit) by the needs of our burgeoning industry which has seen a period of exponential growth. Before Covid-19 upwards of 25% of our workforce were international work visa holders, however, while borders have been closed access to these skilled international workers has essentially been turned off. This means competition for experienced staff is at its highest levels ever and the industry is in a skill shortage crisis.
What is the Restaurant Association doing to address the industry skill shortages?
In the long term, one of the solutions to managing our industry’s skill shortage issues is to retain those already in the industry and train them up to fill those skilled positions. Our industry has notoriously high staff turnover and when employees leave a job, they don’t always stay within hospitality. As an industry we need to be extolling the benefits of a career in hospitality, which are wide and varied and the Restaurant Association sees this as one of our key responsibilities.
Here are some of the Association’s current initiatives addressing the skill shortage challenge:
Springboard training
Launched early 2021, this programme offers different tiers of training from short, entry-level courses to certifications, leadership training and modules from NZQA Level Four courses. We work with members to upskill and train employees so businesses can retain staff and keep them employed, encouraging career development in the hospitality industry.
Find our more about Springboard here.
HospoStart, in collaboration with MSD
Our HospoStart programme, provides unemployed New Zealanders with training in the basics of hospitality, provides work experiences and work placement. Graduates are motivated, keen to develop and seeking opportunities to work within our industry. We aim to supply people that will fit well within respective businesses and once placed we continue the relationship with both employer and employee to ensure everything is working well.
Launched in 2015, HospoStart has trained over 800 people. The programme is expanding into new regions in 2021, addressing regional needs that introduce much-needed new employees into the local hospitality workforce.
Find out more about HospoStart and how to become an employer supporter here. Or, if you would like to apply to join the Hospo Start programme and start your career in hospitality then please get in touch on 0800 737 827 to discuss or email hospostart@restaurantnz.co.nz.
Professional Development, workshop and webinar programme – short courses to upskill the industry
Restaurant Association professional development helps hospitality businesses of all types and sizes to grow and keep skilled and knowledgeable people who deliver great service and great results. Held from March until November, our programmes maximise learning in short, sharp and practical sessions so your offsite time and costs are minimal. Both in person sessions, as well as live streamed sessions and webinars are held, to allow attendees to attend from anywhere in the country.
Better still, if you miss a session, you can access our library of webinar recordings.
The Restaurant Association’s Emerging Managers workshop is a great professional development opportunity for your rising managers to help them develop and fine tune their leadership skills. It is run by one of the industry’s most respected restaurateurs, Krishna Botica. A follow-up workshop, Established Managers, has also been developed to provide a more detailed look at hospitality management techniques, styles and systems. It is perfect for those who have attended Emerging Managers, or front of house or kitchen managers looking to develop their skills further.
Check out upcoming professional development courses here.
Hospitality job boards
The Association manages 12 regional job boards, connecting employers and
employees. It’s a free portal for advertising jobs, or for potential candidates to highlight their availability.
Access the regional job boards here.
Tautoko Hāpai Ō – Hospitality Workers Support scheme
The workers support scheme was launched in 2020, set up to support workers who have the potential to be displaced from employment, offering support, resources and connection to job opportunities.
The scheme website page provides access to
- a support system for Restaurant Association member hospitality workers
- our downloadable resources
- information on our displaced apprenticeship redeployment scheme
- access to our online regional Job Boards.
Find out more about Tautoko Hāpai Ō.
The Future of Hospitality Roadmap
The Restaurant Association has developed the Future of Hospitality Roadmap – an industry-led framework to support the revival and replenishment of our sector.
Our vision: a hospitality sector fit for the future.
The first of it’s kind in Aotearoa, this roadmap sets out how we propose to not only attract more Kiwis to hospitality as a career but also pave the way for the sector to be seen as a national leader – a vital ingredient in nationwide tourism that continues to provide a growth story for the economy. One of the key onjectives of the Roadmap is to create workable solutions for legacy issues faced by the industry, like our skill shortages.
Find out more about the Future of Hospitality Roadmap.
The Restaurant Association is committed to working on initiatives to introduce more workers into the industry, as in the long term this will be essential to meet the industry’s employment demands.
There is no denying our current recruitment challenges, but with our support and the industry’s willingness to embrace practical solutions to assist we see that there is an opportunity to build on some real solutions to our sector’s current skilled staff shortages.