THE north’s hospitality and tourism sectors must become more productive, flexible and innovative to remain internationally competitive in the face of Brexit, a new industry-led body has said.
It has been anticipated that there could be as many as 30,000 vacancies across both sectors by 2024
Now hospitality and tourism operators in the north have launched a three-year action plan in the hope of tackling the shortage of skills, amid their fears that Brexit will compound the issue.
The new employer network HATS (Hospitality and Tourism Skills) is chaired by Derry hotelier Ciaran O’Neill.
The Bishop’s Gate hotel boss said the sectors are currently worth almost £1 billion to the Northern Ireland economy, employing around 65,000 people.
But Mr O’Neill has warned that the skills challenges, amplified by Brexit, risk undermining the sector’s economic performance and profitability.
“The people who work in hospitality and tourism are the cornerstone of the sector’s growth and vital in providing our visitors with a warm welcome and fantastic service,” he said.
“Yet, attracting and retaining skilled employees remains a major business challenge. To remain internationally competitive the industry has to become more productive, flexible and innovative. The need to find, nurture and retain talent therefore is critical.”
Backed by Invest NI, the HATS partnership brings employers in the hospitality and tourism sectors together with industry associations and delivery partners from government and education.
Its three-year action plan will seek to support recruitment; retain talent; and promote collaboration to leverage existing resources.
Invest NI’s director of skills, Niall Casey, said: “We are delighted to support the HATS network through our collaborative growth programme.
“By working collectively, there will be a strong focus on how best to attract, retain and engage a skilled workforce to enable our businesses to grow.
“We already know that tourism is vitally important to our local economy and we hope that this project will help the development of skills, contributing towards success within the hospitality and tourism sector.”
Ciaran O’Neill stressed: “Now is the time for us to collectively embrace the opportunity to grow a motivated and talented workforce that will sustain all our businesses in the long-term and ensure that tourism continues to be a success story for Northern Ireland.”
