Here we go again. When a discussion about employment and the skills shortage in the hospitality industry kicks off, the old truisms get trotted out like well-worn mantras: this is a people business; people are our greatest asset; without good people we will fail; we must look after our staff.

I say they are well worn, but sometimes clichs remain true and all of these sayings are repeated sincerely enough by employers that care. As our feature on employment indicates (page 24), many companies are addressing the serious shortage of middle managers by investing in training and staff development schemes.

The problem is that not all companies comply with best-practice guidelines and those that don't let the whole community of employers down by discouraging young entrants to the business. There is no point paying lip-service to cracking the skills shortage if words aren't backed by action. "Walk the talk" should be the new mantra.

And attracting the right staff is just the beginning. The name of the game is now called retention - keeping hold of good workers, offering them fair remuneration and developing their skills with structured training packages.

We provide a useful cross-reference to some of the training schemes being operated by employers. How does your company compare? Are you walking the talk?

Forbes Mutch
Editor-in-chief
Forbes.mutch@rbi.co.uk