Hospitality Jobs Portal Launches to Support Government’s Kickstart Scheme

A website helping young people get a career in hospitality as part of the Government’s new Kickstart scheme has received backing from the industry.

The HospitalityUnite website, the not-for-profit jobs portal that was initially set up to help hospitality workers find alternative employment during lockdown, is now supporting the Government’s Kickstart initiative for young people with the backing of leading trade association UKHospitality, Springboard, The Scottish Tourism Alliance and The Youth Group.

The website will provide a free online service to make it easy for both hospitality businesses and those 16-24 year-olds wanting to start a career in the restaurant, pub, hotel, bar and wider leisure sector to take advantage of the new Government funded scheme.

As part of the UK’s recovery strategy, the Government is putting £2bn into the Kickstart programme which will fund six months of 25 hours a week work at national minimum wage for 16-24 year olds.

Only Government approved candidates can apply to Kickstart roles and these candidates are being directed to HospitalityUnite jobs courtesy of The Youth Group and its partnership with the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) assessors.

The Youth Group which improves opportunities for young people, has a community of 1.5 million looking to build a career in the current challenging post-COVID environment.

HospitalityUnite was initially created in March by online hospitality platform Harri with the backing of UK Hospitality and the Scottish Tourism Alliance, to bring together businesses in other sectors such as care and retail to support hospitality staff with short term employment stop gaps while their sites were closed. 

It has already secured commitment from several hospitality groups, including BrewDog, Burger King UK and The Ivy Collection. It is anticipated that more than 200 businesses will sign up to the new scheme.

Operating companies taking part will receive exclusive access to these approved candidates and free use of the hiring platform to post jobs, screen candidates, conduct video interviewing and send offer letters. Free employability training will also be available.

“This is a really positive way of promoting the Government’s Kickstart programme, set up to assist sectors like ours,” says CEO of UK Hospitality Kate Nicholls.

“We know from experience that hospitality benefits hugely from the enthusiasm, talents and innovation of young people in its workforce.

“As hospitality embarks on a journey of recovery after the impacts of the Covid crisis, those attributes will be more valuable than ever, and the portal will be a great access point for people looking to break into exciting hospitality careers.”

“We’ll be working with Hospitality Unite to help support and onboard new employees, giving 16-24 year olds the skills, tools and experience required for them to build a successful career in the world of hospitality.” says Baton Berisha, Managing Director for Caprice Holdings, The Ivy Collection and Bill’s Restaurant & Bar.