Hospitality Industry Welcomes Funding

24 May, 2002

Hospitality Industry Welcomes Apprenticeship Funding

The Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI), the ITO for the hospitality sector, is welcoming the Government's Budget announcement of increased funding of $41 million for the modern apprenticeship scheme.

Ian Harding, chief executive of the HSI, says there is a chronic shortage of trained and qualified people in the hospitality industry, which the increase in funding for apprentices will help to resolve.

"We are getting strong support from industry employers, employees, young people, schools and even grandparents who themselves were apprentices once, for the return to apprenticeship training, " he says.

Bruce Robertson, chief executive of the Hospitality Association of New Zealand (HANZ) agrees, saying there is a strong demand from the industry for trained personnel and the apprenticeship programme is an excellent means to address it.

Ian Harding says the timing of the extra funding is excellent, as the HSI is about to roll out hospitality industry apprenticeships nation-wide, with the goal of having in excess of 200 apprentices in training by June 2003.

"One of the major benefits of apprenticeship training, is that it resolves the inability of the industry to attract and retain people in longer term employment. Modern hospitality apprenticeships take three years to complete, so they require a higher level of commitment from both employer and employee", he said.

ENDS

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