Despite being one of the UK’s biggest employers, with over 3.2 million people working in the sector and a £130 billion contribution to the economy, hospitality still isn’t seen as a go-to career by many school leavers.
In fact, just 5% of them say they’re considering a future in hospitality.
That’s shocking, but not surprising when you realise that 61% of young people say they haven’t been properly informed about hospitality careers during their time in school.
For too long, the industry has been misunderstood, often dismissed as a “stop-gap job” rather than the dynamic, fulfilling career it truly is.
That’s exactly why we decided to do something about it.
Last Tuesday, in collaboration with Cheshire Enterprise and the fantastic people at Hospitality Connect, we hosted our very first Teacher Training Day at The Chester Townhouse.
The goal? Simply to give teachers a hands-on, inside look at the industry, so they can better understand it, talk about it, and inspire the next generation to consider hospitality as a real career choice.
We pulled out all the stops to make it a day to remember.
Things kicked off with a bar session led by Becky, our brilliant Townhouse Bar Manager, who taught the group how to make mocktails.
It was fun, lively, and got everyone talking (and shaking).
Next, Head Chef Dwil took over with a Caesar salad session, each teacher got their own tray of ingredients and followed along, learning not just how to make the dish, but what it’s like to work in a professional kitchen.
After a relaxed lunch, the group split up.
Half went upstairs with Head Housekeeper Laura and our Director of Happiness Nicola to get a real feel for the housekeeping side of hotel life, yes, bed-making and all!
The other half joined me, Steven Hesketh, alongside our Sales Manager Jules, for an open and honest chat about hotel operations, back-of-house workings, and what it takes to keep the whole show running smoothly.
The engagement was incredible.
The teachers asked thoughtful questions, threw themselves into every activity, and left with a whole new perspective on hospitality.
More importantly, they told us how excited they were to take this back to their schools, to start conversations with students who might never have considered this path before.
Hosting our first teacher training day was a huge success and we’re already looking forward to doing it again.
The energy, enthusiasm, and genuine curiosity we saw throughout the day confirmed what we already knew: this kind of program is not only wanted, it’s needed.
And if all goes to plan, this won’t just be a one-off. With the right momentum, it could become a national movement.
Because when educators understand and value hospitality, students will too.
If you’re as passionate about changing the narrative around hospitality as we are, I’d love for you to join the journey.
Follow me on social media to keep up with our work, future events, and ideas for reshaping how people view this incredible industry.
Better yet, come along to my next The Art of Hospitality Conference and be part of the movement to re-energise hospitality from the inside out. The future of our industry starts with education, and it starts now.
