The Government has announced the expansion of the number of places available on Sector-based Work Academies Programmes (SWAPs) from 80,000 to 100,000 over the next financial year.
UKHospitality is at the vanguard of this expansion, with the Government announcing at our Workforce and Skills Event that it will be rolling out our hospitality-specific SWAP to 26 new areas in need of jobs.
This backing and investment from the Government recognises the success of the new entry-level training standard that UKHospitality has developed, which has been trialled with members around the country.
Research showed the pilot schemes had an 85% completion rate, with 80% of those completing the course now employed in hospitality.
It is also an endorsement of the Hospitality Skills Passport that UKHospitality has been developing – a transferrable award that team members can earn to demonstrate their competence and qualifications, avoiding duplication of training.
What is a hospitality SWAP?
The hospitality SWAP is a bespoke pre-employment training course that ensures that jobseekers have the skills they need to go into a job in hospitality.
The programme is 20 days, including 10 days in a hospitality setting or classroom with an industry tutor and five days of work experience with an employer who has apprenticeship or entry level vacancies.
Introduction to hospitality career pathways and apprenticeships to progress are outlined to participants, with elements of customer service, essential employment skills and health, hygiene and safe working practises all included in the training.
The learning outcomes include the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) at entry level which align to the KSBs in level 2 apprenticeships.
What’s next and how can I get involved?
The expansion of the scheme will begin from April – a critical time for the hospitality sector. This will set in motion a new partnership that brings together employers, jobseekers and the JobCentre network to ensure that more people are trained to come into the sector.
UKHospitality will be working in local areas, in partnership with local colleges and training providers, to ensure we maximise the number of people joining hospitality.
Register your details below, with the preferred location you’re interested in, and we will be touch about how this scheme is being rolled out across the country and in your area.
Why is it important?
This announcement will help hospitality businesses because it will provide tens of thousands of willing and able people with a route to employment in our sector.
The Government has backed it and is rolling it out because of the success it has already delivered in its pilot stage.
It is also recognition by Government of our Hospitality Skills Passport, which will help to further professionalise training in the sector. This digital passport will house training and qualifications completed by team members and is transferable across businesses, meaning it eliminates the need for duplicative training when joining a new company.
We’re hopeful that this new approach will be able to attract new funding, particularly as the Government reforms the Apprenticeship Levy into the Growth and Skills Levy.
Members can join our webinar on Thursday 6 March to hear the latest
Hear from Sandra Kelly, our Skills Director, about the exciting rollout of hospitality SWAPs, how it can help businesses recruit and what the next steps are for businesses.
Why are the hospitality SWAPs important to the future of skills?
The content of the SWAP has been specifically designed to link to new Foundation Apprenticeships, which our industry has developed as a pathway and route for new starters into our industry.
This allows them to experience a supported programme which delivers the knowledge, skills and behaviours at level 1 which can lead onto level 2 apprenticeships, enabling progression and promotion for those individuals who have come from disadvantaged backgrounds or who have special educational needs.
With the Foundation Apprenticeships covered by the new Growth and Skills Levy, it is clear that our industry has been instrumental in joining the dots and setting out socially productive routes to employment, development and increase in earnings for those who bring the right attitude and commitment with them to work every day.
