Hospitality employers scooping up student talent

Major employers in the £290 billion events, tourism and hospitality sector were at the University of Northampton (UON) this week to scoop up the latest talent and kick-start new careers.

The Event, Tourism and Hospitality (ETH) Careers Fair was organised by the University’s Head of ETH Ivna Reic in conjunction with Northamptonshire Surprise and the Northamptonshire Tourism Business Network.

Hundreds of students, including 50 from Northampton College, browsed stalls hosted by major employers including Silverstone Circuit, Delapre Abbey, West Northamptonshire Council, Warners Distillery, Portfolio Events Catering, Marriott Northampton, Wicksteed Park and Northampton Film Festival.

Ivna explained: “Like all industries, ETH is constantly evolving and requires well educated, and appropriately qualified, professional workforce.

“These industries contribute approximately £290 billion to the UK economy, which makes them very valuable, but employers often struggle to fill open roles.

“Through our current undergraduate and postgraduate courses related to ETH, we’re training the next generation of professionals who will drive the post-pandemic recovery of these industries locally, regionally and nationally.”

Mike Williams, Food and Beverage Operations Manager at Silverstone Circuit said: “Events are so broad in variety; you can travel the world with this career, there’s lots of opportunities.”

UON Fine Art student Heather Taylor-Watson said: “It’s a good way of having some interaction with these employers in person, sometimes it’s harder searching online because you don’t get that feel for the people who’ll be employing you.”

To find out more visit our page on Event Management courses at UON.