The British Hospitality Association's national campaign The Big Hospitality Conversation teamed up with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to generate over 2,000 job opportunities, work placements and apprenticeships in the hospitality sector for 16-24 year old Haringey residents.
100 top business leaders, including household names like Bourne Leisure, McDonalds, Spirit Pub Company, Costa, Premier Inn, Hilton, Sodexo, Centreplate, and Nandos attended the event, pledging live throughout the day alongside Tottenham Hotspur Foundation's education and employment team who were on hand to offer practical employability advice and guidance on gaining relevant qualifications, interview techniques and career choices.
Delivered in partnership with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, Department of Work and Pensions and Haringey Council, this Big Hospitality Conversation is the first of its kind to be delivered in partnership with a Premier League football club. Previous events have generated over 38,000 job opportunities and yesterday's pledges mark a significant 40,000 milestone.
The Big Hospitality Conversation has an ambitious 2015 programme which seeks to generate a further 20,000 career opportunities across the UK at venues including Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Swansea, Belfast, Lambeth, Cardiff, Hackney, Legoland, Bournemouth, Llandudno, Dundee / Perth, Preston / Blackpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Exeter, Maidstone, and the Isle of Wight – taking the total to 60,000 opportunities for 16 to 24 year olds.
Ufi Ibrahim, CEO of the British Hospitality Association, which is focused on growth and job creation for hospitality and tourism said: “This event demonstrates that our industry is about action to grow jobs. We are going out into the community to demonstrate the range of exciting careers available across our industry. The BHA wants politicians to understand how important the hospitality and tourism industry is in generating high quality careers for young people.”
Ledley King, who made over 300 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur between 1999 and 2012, captaining the Club and earning 21 caps for England, attended the event in his role as Tottenham Hotspur Ambassador. He works closely with the Club's Foundation to inspire young people to access local job opportunities and said: “Tottenham Hotspur is committed to creating employment opportunities for local young people, and holding regular job fairs at an iconic venue like White Hart Lane is a great way of doing this. It was great for me to attend yesterday's event and speak to the many young people who are looking for a new challenge in their careers and being able to offer them some advice that if you are willing to work hard, there is so much you are able to achieve.”
