It’s been a challenging period for the hospitality industry, and we’ve been working hard to support employers through free Leadership & Team Skills upskilling for existing employees, delivered in partnership with Southwark Adult Learning Services. We’re also proud to help Southwark-based businesses achieve London Living Wage (LLW) Accreditation, while connecting them with a pool of motivated, trained, and work-ready candidates eager to progress in their careers. John Herity from the Caledonian Club shared the following feedback on our business support:
It’s been a year since the launch of the Southwark Hospitality Skills Hub, an initiative fully funded by Southwark Council to promote and support the Borough’s thriving hospitality sector. We’re excited to reflect on everything achieved over the past twelve months.
“From the first meeting with Rinova, it has been a no pressure seamless process, CV’s are sent, read and if the person fits, an interview will take place. We trial all the prospective staff and it works for both of us, we bring them on board. Experience for us is not essential, it is the willingness and can-do attitude that we are after and Rinova helps us to bring in willing candidates, thank you.”
Through offering free training courses, we’ve helped to close the skills gap and give participants a head start in their hospitality careers. Each course includes a week of work experience, giving candidates the chance to demonstrate their skills and build confidence ahead of interviews.
We’ve celebrated some brilliant success stories this year. One candidate, after five weeks of training at Lewisham College on the Greggs course, is now training to be a shift manager. Having just left school and struggled to find work due to lack of experience, her progress from no experience to shift manager in just a few months is truly inspiring. Another candidate used the barista skills she learned at Westminster Kingsway College to boost her confidence in interviews, and she’s now proudly employed at Compass Group, using those barista skills every day.
For those with existing experience, we ensure they’re matched with suitable vacancies and given the tools to present their experience effectively. One of our candidates, now employed as a Housekeeping Porter at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Luxury 5★ Hotel, shared this message:
“I just wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank you for all your support in preparing me for my interview at Jumeirah Carlton Tower. Your guidance and thorough help made a huge difference, and I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into assisting me. I’m excited to start this new journey, and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. Thank you once again!” – Muhammad Ayaz
Alongside our training, we’ve continued to promote hospitality as a rewarding career by attending careers fairs and hosting workshops across our hotel network. These sessions have been a real success, giving students valuable insight and sparking new interest in hospitality. As Stephen Young, Careers Lead at St Saviour’s and St Olave’s, shared:
“I want to say a big ‘Thank you’ for organising this workshop and the staff at Leonardo Hotel. I am Careers Lead at St Saviours and St Olaves so I have organised lots of workplace insight days and I would say this is one of the best we have attended as a school.”
Looking ahead, we’re excited about the opportunities to come. We’ve recently connected with Lumberjack Café, part of London Reclaimed, where one of our candidates is interviewing for a year-long paid internship. Several others are taking cooking classes with Bermondsey Community Kitchen, followed by placements with British Land – an exciting start to their careers as chefs.
It’s been a fantastic first year full of progress, partnerships, and success stories – all focused on supporting our candidates and strengthening the hospitality industry. We can’t wait to see what the next year brings!
