Harrogate hospitality sector urged to help design college courses
It's hoped collaboration with the education sector can help hospitality businesses overcome recruitment challenges
Hospitality bosses in Harrogate are being encouraged to help design college courses, to train new talent for the sector.
It comes as businesses have seen difficulties as lockdown restrictions are eased, because many skilled staff have left the industry due to uncertainty caused by coronavirus.
Harrogate College is now hoping its courses, designed by local hospitality bosses, will help train new talent and retain them in the district.
The college's principal, Danny Wild, said: "The core purpose of the college is to support business in terms of developing people to have the skills for the jobs that are in Harrogate, and hospitality plays such an important part of that.
"Supporting businesses is not something that you can take a catalogue off a shelf and just do. Every businesses is going to have their own unique needs, and that's part of the college's service and offer in the district, to be able to develop things to meet employer need.
Danny told us this will also help young people coming home to Harrogate for the summer holidays: "We can actually start to do some training with them and support businesses in putting on some short courses, so even if they have a new cohort of staff, we can help them get up and running a bit quicker.
"We can also get young people to think about actually working in the hospitality sector as a really good opportunity for them to stay and work in Harrogate."