Fáilte Ireland is to launch its first-ever Employer Excellent Programme to help address the staffing and skills challenges faced by the hospitality industry.
The robust and wide-ranging work programme has been created following collaborative research with the industry and insightful jobseeker research in partnership with Jobs.ie.
Commenting on the Fáilte Ireland initiative, Jobs.ie General Manager Christopher Paye says “As we move away from Covid restrictions, the hospitality industry will experience increased demand from domestic and international tourists. While the sector will relish this opportunity, it makes the recruitment and retention of staff a priority for employers. It’s why we were delighted to work with Failte Ireland on their research and are pleased to play our part in supporting businesses to enhance their appeal to existing and potential employees.”
Key actions
Jenny De Saulles, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Sector Development, outlines Fáilte Ireland’s response to staffing and skills problems.
“As the economy fully reopens, competition for skilled workers is at an all-time high, so our industry needs to drive immediate changes to retain existing and to attract new staff.
There are three key action areas where Fáilte Ireland will support the industry. Fundamentally they are about getting the people, keeping the people, and upskilling the people – and each of these go hand in hand. If you have good retention and development programmes, people are more likely to want to work for you. Staff shortages existed pre-Covid, but the pandemic and its impact on the stability of the sector along with the universal changes in working patterns has compounded the issue.
“The package of supports announced today will help businesses in their immediate recruitment efforts and help them to commit to driving long-term change to make the industry an appealing and rewarding workplace that can attract and retain talent.
Our new Excellent Employer Programme will support businesses to do that and ultimately give the wider industry a platform to build back bigger and stronger, creating a fundamental shift in employee perception that will support the long-term repositioning of the tourism and hospitality industry and ensure a future pipeline of talent.”
The plans for the programme were revealed as part of the tourism body’s priorities for 2022 which included a doubling of the domestic marketing investment to drive short breaks year-round; further investment in the digital presence of tourism businesses; four Regional Tourism Strategies for Ireland’s Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, Dublin and Wild Atlantic Way; 27 local Destination Development Plans which will be critical to driving the long-term recovery of tourism across Ireland; and plans to reduce tourism’s carbon footprint.
