LAST week I was massively encouraged to see the great success of an exciting new pilot programme that has sparked the interest of new and prospective talent into the hospitality sector here.
Delivered by Belfast Metropolitan College, ‘Get Into Hospitality’ delivered up fully subscribed courses in bartending and food service to around 60 brilliant entrants who were interested in kick-starting their career or seeking a new challenge in the hospitality industry.
Seeing first-hand the enthusiasm and energy displayed by participants has reminded me about just how fantastic and colourful an industry hospitality really is.
As we grapple with severe labour shortages in the sector, it was heartening to see that there is a real desire and interest from a new influx of passionate individuals who are realising what a rewarding career it is.
It also highlighted the crucial role that the further education colleges across Northern Ireland play in the development of people and careers for the hospitality sector.
With all of this in mind, the proposed cuts of up to 20 per cent to the further education budget seems to be an even more mindless and senseless decision at a time when it is obvious that we need to be investing more in skills, not severing the lifeline for industries that our elected representatives and officials always laud as key economic drivers.
Each and every day we rely on the people that further education colleges educate, up-skill and re-skill. They are a vital component for us. They are part of our sector.
As we look forward to commemorating 25 years since the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, we should rightly reflect on how far we have come.
However, as Presidents, Prime Ministers, and esteemed dignitaries descend on Northern Ireland for the occasion, it is my hope that we don’t lose ourselves in the pomp and pageantry and forget where we actually find ourselves.
We have been warned that the incoming Budget for 2023/24 will be extremely challenging with the lack of an Executive.
What we need most is an Executive that can set a maintained budget which can support our sector, dispel the perennial fears of budget cuts, and most importantly, keep helping us attract and train the right talent for life long rewarding careers in hospitality.
If this milestone in our history shows us anything, it is that there is potential, and there are solutions.
Having witnessed the drive and tenacity of just a very small fraction of our young people here, I remain hopeful about the next 25 years and our shared future in Northern Ireland and the future of the hospitality sector here.
:: Colin Neill is chief executive of Hospitality Ulster
