Hospitality sector serves up redesigned apprenticeships

Hospitality sector serves up redesigned apprenticeships  

Did you know that the hospitality sector is worth around £93 billion to the UK economy, and with a workforce of some 3.5 million, is our third biggest employer? 

Badly hit by the pandemic lock down, the industry has largely rallied post-Covid, although staff shortages and rising costs are an issue, reports trade body UKHospitality.  

As customers we sometimes take the sector for granted, especially during the summer months when we're booking meals out, overnight stays, day trips and holidays in our favourite spots. 

We shouldn't though, as to a great extent, our enjoyment is down to the standard and quality of customer service we receive from the people running our B&Bs, holiday parks and cottages, bars and restaurants.  

Working in hospitality  

Talk to any hospitality employer and they'll tell you what they most value from staff is reliability, a positive, customer- focused approach and the ability to work well in a team.  

As well as being dependable and diligent, employees must also be happy to work weekends and evenings particularly during busy holiday periods.  

For those looking to get into the sector via an apprenticeship, there are various routes, including the recently updated Level 2 Hospitality Accommodation Team Member programme.  

For prospective apprentices who aren't sure where they'd like to work, this course gives them experience of a broad range of catering and hospitality related occupations including dining and bar work, guest services and housekeeping.  

Level 2 Hospitality Accommodation Team Member Apprenticeship   

This apprenticeship, approved for delivery by newly established Skills England as recently as May 2025, provides training for multi-skilled occupations found in hotels, inns, holiday parks, B&Bs, restaurants or pubs with rooms. Once qualified, apprentices can move into jobs such as general assistant and hospitality team member. From there they can progress to roles such as hospitality supervisor or manager. 

With a minimum duration of 12 months and an EPA period of three months, this programme attracts maximum funding of £6,000. Training is delivered in the apprentice's workplace, with Parkdean Resorts, Marriott and Whitbread among the major employers involved in creating the standard.  

Skills and knowledge the apprenticeship will offer 

To build their knowledge across all areas of hospitality accommodation, apprentices will be taught: 

• Guest Communication & Customer Service
  How to communicate effectively and personally with guests, adapt to different needs and understand the principles of customer service, including service mentality and its impact on guest satisfaction. 

• Feedback, Complaints & Escalation
  Techniques for handling guest feedback, complaints and disputes, including de-escalation strategies and procedures for reporting or escalating issues. 

• Legislation, Policies & Safety
  Key legislation and policies covering guest privacy, data protection, child protection, modern slavery, equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as health and safety (manual handling, fire safety, emergency evacuation, lone working). 

• Accommodation & Housekeeping Procedures
  Cleaning standards and sequences for guest rooms and public areas, hygiene management (pest, virus control, COSHH) and waste disposal methods for various materials. 

• Food & Beverage Knowledge
  Steps involved in food service, food safety and allergen legislation and responsibilities under licensing laws including alcohol service and accurate measurement. 

• Operational Procedures & Security
  Handling transactions and payments securely, managing room keys and guest property (including lost property), using specialist equipment and technology and following procedures for shift handovers. 

• Workload & Resource Management
  Stock control procedures, task prioritisation, time management and methods to reduce resource waste sustainably. 

• Professionalism & Conduct
  Expected standards for personal hygiene, appearance and uniform in line with business expectations. 

As this list shows, there's so much to learn on this apprenticeship programme, but Onefile's learner management system can make the apprentice journey so much easier for the learner, training provider and employer. For starters, tracking on and off the job training is simpler for everyone thanks to its inbuilt tracker.