Make it Here! Careers in Tourism & Hospitality
Tourism Northern Ireland will deliver the third phase of its dedicated campaign to change perceptions of working in our sector and attract and retain more great people. Phase 1 of the campaign launched in March 2023 and was very successful with over 30,000 visits to our microsite.
Campaign Aims & Benefits
People are the driving force behind our industry and we want to encourage more people to make a career in tourism and hospitality. But we need your help! Our industry have a powerful voice and we need to come together to shout about the vibrant, rewarding careers in our sector.
The Make It Here campaign will help shift perceptions of what it’s like to work in the Tourism & Hospitality industry, encouraging more people to consider starting a career in this fantastic sector.
This will benefit employers as it should result in an increase in the number of overall applications for roles but also the quality of applicants overall.
We also want to hang on to these people. This campaign will support the retention of staff within the industry by reaffirming to them the great benefits of working in Tourism & Hospitality, such as structured training, pay progression and flexible hours.
It is important to note that real change in perceptions and behaviour takes time and that the aim of Make It Here is to improve long-term recruitment and retention in the industry.
Campaign Toolkit
We have shared a campaign toolkit to make it easy for Tourism & Hospitality employers and partners to be part of the Make It Here campaign.
Download:
Useful Information Webinar:
A useful information session about the next stage of the Make It Here campaign, and what it means for your business, is now available to view.
Joining in
The Tourism & Hospitality industry is full of the same type of people - people who make your day. Some make five-star cuisine, others make mouth-watering cocktails, some make history come to life and others make sure the books are balanced at the end of the month. But, whatever your role and whatever your goal, in Tourism & Hospitality you can make someone’s day here – and make your career here too!
What You Can Do
- Use the Make It Here Campaign assets on social posts, web pages and posters. We have developed a wide range of new photography for you to use for advertising vacancies. These cover, bars, front of houses, restaurants, visitor experiences, events and even coach drivers.
- Upload your job vacancy ads to any of our partner recruitment sites or advertise on your own channels like your website or social media channels
- Use #MakeYourCareer on any social media comms to amplify the campaign
- Access wider Tourism NI Recruit and Retain practical supports such as our People Health Check and much more.
- Demonstrate your commitment as an Employer. Sign up to the Wellbeing & Development Promise
- Let us know your stories – do you have fantastic employees that fit our target audiences? What are you doing differently in your business to attract, retain and challenge perceptions of working in Tourism & Hospitality?
Campaign Assets
As part of the Make It Here campaign, a range of assets will be available for use by employers alongside your own activity.
Creative Examples
This is an example of a digital ad our targets will see. The aim of these ads is to highlight the most important benefit to each of our target audiences e.g. Ads for our Part-time audience say ‘Make your own hours’ which emphasises flexible working hours.
Social Post Examples
Create Effective Recruitment Social Posts
Our research into the world of Tourism & Hospitality has identified key messages and attributes for different sectors, audiences and candidates. You should look to reference these in your social posts to help make your posts more engaging and compelling for prospective candidates. The three examples here will help show you how.
Website
Our dedicated careers website, makeyourcareer.co.uk, is packed with inspiration, information and opportunities for anyone considering an exciting, rewarding career in Tourism & Hospitality.
From information on trade apprenticeships, accredited qualifications, and employer profiles to inspiring video showcases and supports and opportunities for employers, you’ll find everything you need to help get you started and progress in the world of Tourism & Hospitality.
Support & Resources
The following websites provide useful supports, resources and advice to help employers better recruit and retain staff. Check out the range of Tourism & Hospitality courses at your local Further & Higher Educational college. You may want to offer your current team further training and development opportunities.
Wellbeing Promise
Our research shows that a two-fold approach is needed to change long-held negative perceptions of working in the industry. Tourism & Hospitality employers need to become best practice employers.
Developed by the UK Hospitality & Tourism Skills Board, the ‘Wellbeing and Development Promise’ is a UK wide initiative for the hospitality and tourism industry, to promote the wellbeing and development of staff within both sectors.
Ensuring that team members are well-supported is fundamental to any successful businesses. This is particularly vital for the hospitality sector which, at its heart, is built on providing fantastic customer service, creating repeat visits and an exciting, enjoyable experience and drives social mobility in communities across the country.
It is therefore critical that jobs and careers are attractive for jobseekers and existing team members alike. To ensure success, retention is critical for upskilling the sector and, for retention to be delivered, team members must feel valued and supported within their workplace. In effect a positive focus on wellbeing within the workplace has been proven to boost productivity and reduce absenteeism. Creating such environments will deliver a sense of belonging, positively impacting on the mental and social health of team members.
Tourism & hospitality businesses across NI are encouraged to sign up to the Wellbeing Promise, ensuring that team members feel valued and supported as a key part of our industry.
To find out more, visit wellbeingpromise.co.uk
Further & Higher College
Northern Ireland’s six regional Further Education Colleges offer a range of apprenticeships designed to meet the changing trends in our sector and enable you to recruit and retain good people.
A full list of apprenticeship training contractors can be found on NI Direct.
Did you know that Apprenticeships are not just for young people?
All-Age Apprenticeships are now available for all, increasing employers’ ability to support training in the workspace.
Apprenticeships on offer include:
- Hospitality Management
- Tourism Management
- Event Management
- Culinary Arts
- Professional Cookery
- Front of House & Hospitality
- Supervision & Leadership
How does an Apprenticeship work?
- Apprentice works with an employer for 4 days per week to gain practical skills and experience
- 1 day per week studying at a local college with no cost to employer or employee
Benefits of Apprenticeships
- Tackle staff turnover
- Sustainably deals with staff shortages
- 80% of companies who invest in apprenticeships report an increase in staff retention and morale
What to do next
Contact your local College Apprenticeship Team by email:
- Belfast Met - BBSinfo@belfastmet.ac.uk
- NRC - admissions@nrc.ac.uk
- NWRC - annette.odoherty@nwrc.ac.uk
- SERC - pmercer@serc.ac.uk
- SRC - apprenticeships@src.ac.uk
- SWC - Simon.Wiggins@swc.ac.uk
Employer Supports & Resources
Tourism Northern Ireland
Here you can find:
- Research and insights
- People health check
- HR guidance
- Latest news
- Employment law
- Wider tourism support & opportunity to build your business
HATS Network (Hospitality & Tourism Skills)
Here you can find:
- Skills Funding Guide
- Employer Guides to Skills funding and recruitment support
- Industry commitment
- Best practice advice on recruitment and retention
Hospitality Ulster
Here you can find:
NITA - Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance
Here you can find:
We want to hear your stories
But in the meantime, we want to hear your stories. We are searching for passionate people who would be happy to share their career journey, regardless of the path they took to get here - in fact, the more unconventional the better!
We are particularly looking for:
- Entry-Level - have you joined the industry straight from school or university and now forging a career in tourism and hospitality?
- Career Switches – were you working in a different sector and decided to switch paths and follow your interests to a career in tourism and hospitality?
- Work after Retirement – are you a retiree that now works part-time as tour guide for example? Ditched the laptop for the bar top?
- Returners – did you return after a career break and decide to delve into the world of travel and tourism instead?
- Unique & usual day-to-day – does your job surprise people? Have you turned a hobby into a career in travel and hospitality?
We would like to share some of these stories with our local media and on digital share, to inspire people across Northern Ireland to consider a job in travel, tourism and hospitality.
We would also like to hear what you as employers are doing to recruit and retain great people?
- Are you doing anything unconventional and innovative?
- Why are you a great employer?
- Have you recently introduced more flexible rotas, new training opportunities, changes in pay/ grading and or /working conditions?
We want to shine a light on great examples of Recruitment and Retention across Northern Ireland and encourage others to strive for better.
Jobs of the week: There will also be opportunities for employers to showcase live vacancies in the sector that are suitable for the target audiences mentioned above. Use the campaign as an opportunity to attract better candidates and let us know about the opportunities in your sector!