Alun Francis rightly highlights the challenge of how to improve opportunities for young people not in training, education or employment (“What social mobility policy gets wrong: the view from Blackpool”, Opinion, February 17).
I want to suggest one more part of the puzzle: the UK needs to support and foster those segments of the economy that can create more of the practical opportunities Francis calls for.
Hospitality has to be one of those. There will always be temporary jobs for those who want them, but also the chance of a long-term career without the barriers to entry that are common in other industries. Importantly, in every corner of the country, not just the south-east.
As the CEO of the UK’s largest hospitality business, of course I have an interest. But my conviction is because I’ve seen how we at Whitbread have adapted our training to help colleagues who hadn’t had full access to education. Or how we could offer opportunities to young people who have been through the care system. It’s what gives me confidence that our sector can be part of the answer.
But I worry that the UK and the government don’t see the opportunity. Measures like raising national insurance contributions make it harder. I don’t think disproportionally raising the cost of employing people who work part time or are on the “living wage” can be good for opportunity.
The nuts and bolts of tax, business rates and planning reform sound far removed from the debate around social mobility. But they are part of ensuring the UK’s broad hospitality industry remains competitive and attractive, and in turn is able to offer more opportunities to young people — in Blackpool, and around the country. I hope we choose to back it.
Dominic Paul
Chief Executive, Whitbread, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, UK