The Right Answers to the Wrong Questions? Observations on Skill Development and Training in the United Kingdom's Hospitality Sector

Abstract

This article is informed by a literature review of current research on skills and skills development undertaken for People 1st, the Sector Skills Council covering hospitality, gaming, leisure and tourism activities in England. The article suggests that much government policy towards skills needs in the sector is based on a number of erroneous assumptions. Fundamentally, State training interventions chiefl y involve education and training supply, and not low levels of employer demand for training, or low employer demand for a highly skilled workforce in the sector. There is a culture of training avoidance in many UK fi rms in the hospitality sector. Ironically, education and training policies are exclusively infl uenced by employers in national government, and this assumes that sector employers represent a homogeneous group. Yet there are many differences between fi rms and their different demands for varied skills sets in the workforce. The assumption that employers are looking for hard skills in employees is also questionable. In fact, there are a number of different skill clusters that employers seek, and each operates under different labour market conditions. For example, much of the discourse about the shortage of chefs assumes that one set of skills exists for those who cook; this article suggests that there are at least three different skills levels. The article ultimately argues that People 1st and those making training policy for the sector are often working from fl awed assumptions. They need to ask why so many fi rms are training avoiders, and to listen to a wider audience of stakeholders

Commodification and perceived authenticity in commercial homes

“…During the commodification process, family labor is invested to commercial accommodation, and domestic skills become inputs into service production. It has been observed that in commercial homes, family members are emotionally 7 and physically incorporated into commercial hospitality activities at different levels (Baines & Gelder, 2003;Lynch, 2003Lynch, , 2005, ranging from accommodating the occasional paying guests during peak season, to attracting and hosting customers throughout the year (Lashley, 2009).…”

The development of soft skills during internships: The hospitality student’s voice

“…The value and challenges of work placements, internships or work integrated learning has therefore long been debated in the field of hospitality management education. Closely connected to this has been the debate about how students of hospitality develop "soft" and "hard" skills (Lashley, 2009;Lashley & Barron, 2006;Sisson & Adams, 2013;Weber, Finley, Crawford & Rivera, 2009). Hospitality students also benefit from exposure to "problem-based learning" approaches to assessment, as this most closely mirrors the multi-disciplinary challenges they will face in industry (Kivela & Kivela, 2005).…”

Half Job—Half Training? Management Perceptions of Part-time Employee Training in the Hospitality Industry

“…The results outlined above suggest that informal training approaches, such as buddy systems, were often used in hospitality organizations as noted in the literature review (e.g., Eaglen et al, 1999;Lashley, 2009). This is especially true for small hospitality organizations, where no support system and limited budgets for training and developing employees is available, unlike chain organizations that have resources and support departments, such as HR departments.…”

“…Training in the Hospitality Industry A review of the literature on training in the hospitality industry (see for example, Eaglen, Lashley, & Thomas, 1999;Baum, 2002;Lashley & Thomas, 402 A. E. E. Sobaih 2005; Monk & Ryding, 2007;Lashley, 2009;People 1st, 2010) has shown that there is, indeed, a shortage of training provided for hospitality staff and that many firms operate without formal training approaches. The literature stresses that informality and relatively unsophisticated practices are major traits of hospitality organizations, and this is particularly true for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (Jameson, 2000).…”