McDonald’s and Compass Group are among the major hospitality employers to have thrown their weight behind an advertising campaign designed to improve the reputation of jobs in the industry.
The UK-wide initiative, organised by sector skills council People 1st, aims to persuade young people to re-think a career in hospitality, leisure travel or tourism.
Restaurant chains Living Ventures, Yo! Sushi and Gourmet Restaurants, contract caterers Sodexo and BaxterStorey and leisure attraction operator Merlin Entertainments have also signed up to the multimedia and TV ad campaign, which debuts on Channel 4 and other ‘youth’ TV channels this week.
The first advert will appear during tomorrow night’s episode of teen drama Hollyoaks, which has 2. 2million viewers, half of whom are aged 16-24.
The advert drives people to a microsite – www.greatplaces2work.co.uk – which has a ‘YouTube’ style repository of videos showing real people with great jobs. The site also features a self-analysis test enabling young people to discover the skills and capabilities that employers value.
Brian Wisdom, chief executive of People 1st, said the campaign was a positive step towards fixing some of the major issues facing employers.
“Every day we read negative stories about careers in bars, hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses,” he said. “We have been able to pull together some of the biggest names in our sector to attempt to reverse this trend.”
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By Helen Gilbert
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