"Being Gordon Ramsay doesn't sound so bad!"

A panel of young hospitality professionals shared their views on hospitality in the UK, where they want to be in the future, who inspires them, and where young professionals are looking for hospitality jobs in 2023.

Students from the University of East London and the University of Sunderland were invited to share with attendees what it means to be a young person working in hospitality in 2023, as part of the Shine Summit from Mapal OS.

Taking part in the discussion was Jade, a twenty-one-year-old student in her final year working towards a career in HR learning development, who explained that hospitality has been an industry which has massively helped develop her skill set.

"For me hospitality has always been in my blood. By the age of 17, I was already a general manager of a desert parlor, and I was able to develop a lot of people, and development has helped people see it's possible to have a good career, especially for young age and learn so much," explained Jade.

For Kirill, a forty-year-old mature student studying at the University of Sunderland, hospitality has allowed him to work and make customers feel happy.

Kirill explained: "Hospitality is an opportunity where people can make other people happy, where they can transport them away from their daily life, daily work, and just make them happy and give customers what they want. That's why I work in hospitality. The people."

Explaining the rich background of traits and skill sets that hospitality workers have and the importance of internal recruitment, Christina, an international tourism and hospitality graduate from the University of Sunderland, said: "I found internally all these people with skills that I never thought they had. Share your skills in hospitality, there's space for all your skills. Anything you study, hospitality is the place where you can develop."

Moderating the discussion was Dawn Bowstead, Founder & Owner of Hospitality Jobs UK, who asked the young panel their opinions on celebrity hospitality figures such as Gordon Ramsay, who’s empire of Gordon Ramsay restaurants stretches across the UK, US, Europe, Asia and afar.

Answering Dawn’s question on influences, Rudy, a chef and student at the University of East London, said: "Being Gordon Ramsay doesn't sound so bad! Different restaurants have different sets of rules and responsibilities for each individual for each kitchen staff, so you can pass on your skills and I feel like whoever the head chef is, they will respect it. If you show them that you have the skills, and if you're ready to work under them, then I don't feel like they will have an issue with whoever you used to work for before."

It wasn’t long before the discussion turned to what employers can do to engage the next generation of hospitality professionals, with Jade explaining that often companies tend not to listen or properly support younger members of staff.

"Reach out to generation Z and Y, and listen to them as well. As one of the younger people in the panel, I've been one to jump to and from companies because they just weren't listening to me,” she explained.

Jade added that she tended use social media when looking for new jobs within hospitality, with Instagram and TikTok being her preferred platforms due to their design and content creation.

Throughout the talk, all of the panel explained that hospitality firms needs to work and advertise with universities, colleges, and other educational centres a lot more if they want to improve recruitment in the industry.

Finishing the discussion, the panel listed salaries, company values, care for staff, safety at work, flexibility, and staff training as the biggest factors young people look for when searching for a job.