Staff Recruitment and Retainment

Tim Farron recently quoted: ‘We have world class universities in Lancaster and Cumbria, a high-quality engineering hub in Barrow and Britain's second biggest visitor destination in the Lake District’.  Yet why can’t we recruit and retain talent in the Cumbrian hospitality and tourism industry?

Many believe Cumbria is heading into a storm of the ageing workforce, with a rising demand for young skilled workers to nurture, progress and retain.

Rob Johnston, Chief Executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, stresses: “We have a ‘super-ageing population’ as people come to the county to retire. Projections show that one-in-four will be over 65 by 2020.”

For Cumbria alone, 73’000 jobs are estimated to be open and needing to be filled by 2021 to fulfil economic growth, replace people who have retired or leave the country*.  Brexit adds another layer of uncertainty, with the reliance on over 10’000 migrant workers in Cumbria.

“Growing our own workforce is critical. We export our kids and don’t get many back in return so we need to be positive about Cumbria and the hospitality industry” Tim Farron, MP.

Do we need to start looking closer to home by working with hoteliers and tourist attractions to invest in new graduate schemes and provide more appealing synergies with our local colleges?

For example, recent figures show that Kendal College apprenticeship schemes consistently outperform the average national benchmark for Further Education Colleges but are students leaving Cumbria for the bright city lights?

The Chamber of Commerce recently delivered that 80% of businesses who invest in apprenticeships report an increase in staff retention and 92% of employers say that having apprentices leads to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.

The 25% that spend most on training are seven times more profitable, on average, than the 25% that spend least.

Is there a need to start the awareness and promotion of the Hospitality and Tourism trade earlier through schools, work experiences and direct conversations with students thinking about their future?

*Source: Local Enterprise Partnership.