Savoy Educational Trust backs ‘Futureversity’ as support for young people in hospitality reaches all-time high

25-Jul-2012 - Last updated on 24-Apr-2024 at 14:20 GMT

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The Savoy Educational Trust-backed Futureversity courses deliver learning opportunities in partnership with hospitality businesses and industry professionals

The Savoy Educational Trust is this week urging young people to sign up for Tower Hamlets ‘Futureversity’ summer courses which will help them gain skills and qualifications in the hospitality industry.

The free Futureversity courses were piloted as part of a crime prevention initiative in 1995 and today they deliver learning opportunities for 11 to 25-year-olds in partnership with businesses and industry professionals.

This year, the Savoy Educational Trust has helped fund two extra courses in food hygiene leading to hospitality industry-recognised qualifications.

“The hospitality and tourism industry is growing and young people are the future of its success,” said Margaret Georgiou of the Savoy Educational Trust. “Savoy Education Trustees are proud to be supporting this year's Futureversity Summer Programme.

“Many jobs are being created in this industry every day and the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games is providing the focus needed to ensure the industry attracts new young people. We hope this year’s Futureversity summer courses will spark an interest in the hospitality and tourism industry so we can all benefit from their talents in the future.”

Futureversity programme manager Abdul Azim added: “To anyone worrying about exam results or getting on the job ladder, our message is clear - our summer programme improves employment prospects and is a chance to do something really worthwhile, involving meeting new people and trying out new things without fear of failure.”

Supporting young people in hospitality: A timeline

The Futureversity summer courses are the latest in a number of initiatives launched in recent months to arm young people with the right skills to work in hospitality.

Yesterday, BigHospitality reported that a proposal to open a Studio School in Liverpool that will help train 14-19 year-olds to work in hospitality, tourism and culture, has been approved by the Department for Education to open in September 2013.
Earlier in July, The Big Conversation - a joint initiative between Business in the Community (BitC), the British Hospitality Association (BHA) and Springboard - brought together an array of hospitality industry leaders with young people to stimulate a dialogue on employability skills, work experience and apprenticeships.
Last month, the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) launched the first National Licenced Hospitality Apprenticeships Summit to demonstrate how apprenticeships can provide a motivated workforce in the hospitality industry.
In May, London Mayor Boris Johnson, his office and the Local Enterprise Partnership put their weight firmly behind the BII’s new Apprenticeship in Licensed Hospitality.
In February, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg underlined his support for apprenticeships and urged other businesses to get involved with the below video message released during National Apprenticeship week:

Hospitality pledges

With the news earlier this year that the Government is to inject £1bn of funding into a new scheme to tackle youth unemployment and get 160,000 18 to 24-year-olds into work over the next four years, a number of major hospitality businesses are already running their own initiatives.

Hilton Worldwide announced 1800 UK jobs would be created over the next three years.
Accor recently unveiled a new training academy in London along with the creation of 3,500 hotel jobs over the next three years.
Compass Group announced it would be running 1500 apprenticeships in the next year alone.
Whitbread sets out to create 10,000 new jobs over the next three years.
InterContinental Hotels Group created 1,000 jobs in the UK in 2011 and pledges to create a further 3,000 jobs over the next three years.
McDonalds, which already employs 85,000 people across the UK, announced expectations to create a further 3,000 jobs in 2012. T
The De Vere Academy hopes to have over 10,000 apprentices in the next three years.

The Savoy Educational Trust, set up in 1961, offers grants to charities and individuals supporting education initiatives in the hospitality and tourism industry. The Trust has supported the Futureversity summer courses for nine consecutive years since 2004.

The free summer Futureversity courses running in Tower Hamlets are open to all young people from any borough in London. Last year, Futureversity courses were oversubscribed by five times. For more information, visit www.savoyeducationtrust.org