Over the last twelve months, The Manchester Hoteliers Association (MHA), a non-profit organisation of the key hotels within the city centre and the Greater Manchester area, has organised and hosted hospitality student forums to great success.
Entitled Keep the Faith in Hospitality, the initiative started in the summer of 2020 following discussions with the Hospitality Faculty at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and the realisation that hundreds of students were left without employment or career guidance throughout the pandemic.
Initially the forums were held in Manchester for 50 MMU student attendees, with the aim to keep students updated on what was happening in the industry throughout such uncertain times. Due to the great success of the discussions, the forums have now expanded to become UK wide.
Through collaborating with the Institute of Hospitality, the forums now accept much larger numbers using a webinar platform, with over 250 students, registered from Universities up and down the country, attending the most recent forum in April 2021.
Adrian Ellis, chair of the MHA, commented “These forums have been an excellent opportunity for us to inspire students across the UK to pursue a career in hospitality. Despite the hardships our sector has faced, it has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm for the hotel industry and to ignite a passion amongst students for our incredible sector.”
He added “The expansion of the Keep the Faith in Hospitality programme is great to see- providing the MHA with an opportunity to make a national impact in helping keep students engaged and steering students towards real opportunities and a future career within the hospitality industry”.
The forums feature industry representatives, including general managers of the biggest and best hotels nationally, in a panel discussion, covering topics such as the current challenges due to lockdown, the reopening in Spring 2021 and job opportunities in the sector. As such, the discussions have provided encouragement for students that the hospitality industry is still thriving and that opportunities will be created in this fast and dynamic industry over the times ahead.
Ellis continues “These forums will go a long way to re-establishing enthusiasm and faith in our amazing industry as a career of choice for the future”.
It is hoped that the forums will continue throughout 2021, as the industry continues to re-open and requires new talent to reignite the sector.
For more information about the most recent Keep the Faith in Hospitality forum, see here https://www.instituteofhospitality.org/event/keep-the-faith-in-hospitality-student-forum/
