Yesterday, the BBPA were proud to take part in The Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase 2024 in the House of Commons with some apprentices sharing their stories and work with industry leaders, and a huge turnout of Ministers and backbenchers.
Image Left to right: Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Nigel Huddleston MP, Marston’s apprentice Laura, Emma McClarkin BBPA CEO, Robin Walker MP. Photo credit: Torrin MacLauchlan
The BBPA is calling for urgent reform of the apprenticeship levy with greater flexibility to utilise this for wider skills development and training is required.
The sector is committed to growing apprenticeships at all levels but, with 76% of pubs concerned about staffing, broader skills incentives to deliver what pubs and brewers need to grow the workforce requires a more flexible solution.
Kris Gumbrell, Chief Executive of Brewhouse & Kitchen said:
“At Brewhouse & Kitchen, we’re passionate about the value and importance of apprenticeships, and we were delighted at the opportunity to showcase some of our people and their success in Parliament yesterday.
“Our apprentices are the future of our business and I am proud of the support we give them and the hard work they put in to making Brewhouse & Kitchen the best business it can be.”
Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay said:
“It was great to speak at this year’s Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase and to meet so many thriving apprentices. Apprenticeships are a great pathway to fulfilling and successful careers, providing the opportunity to earn while you learn. St Austell brewery is a great example in my constituency where apprentices can choose from brewing, to sales, to IT to name just a few – training and retraining the future of industry without saddling anyone with debt. The high-quality training and experience on offer in hospitality is second to none.”
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association said:
“Apprenticeships are a phenomenal opportunity for people of all ages to begin a new career path. They’re varied and dynamic, apprentices earn while they learn and it’s a rare opportunity to excel in the beer and pub sector at speed; we’ve seen apprentices go from the bar to the boardroom over short periods. Meeting the apprentice brewers at Brewhouse and Kitchen was a great example of the short path from learning how to brew to seeing your own recipe on tap that apprenticeships provide.
“We will continue to call for greater flexibility in the apprenticeship levy to open more doors for businesses in the beer and pub sector to invest in their staff and the future of our economy through effective training.”
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview contact press@beerandpub.com / 020 7627 9199
About the British Beer & Pub Association
The BBPA represents businesses which between them brew over 90% of the beer sold in the UK and own 20,000 pubs.
Our members include international companies, national and local brewers and pub businesses operating managed and tenanted pubs in cities, towns and villages across the country.
These businesses are at the heart of communities and local economies and include family businesses who have been brewing beer and running pubs for hundreds of years alongside emerging brewers and pub operators.
The UK’s beer and pub industry supports close to 940,000 jobs
The industry adds £26.2billion to the UK’s economy each year
For more information or to arrange an interview contact press@beerandpub.com / 020 7627 9199
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