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Greene King - Untapping Potential Report

Untapping Potential Report

The role of pubs in levelling up skills, jobs and communities

In June 2022 we launched our Untapping Potential Report which highlights the important role that pubs play in creating job opportunities, setting people up for rewarding careers, and allowing them to succeed within their local community. All of which are vital for achieving the Government’s ambitions to level up communities across the UK.

Launched in Parliament by Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi MP and Education Committee Chair Rob Halfon MP, the Report sets out how pubs are particularly well placed to support the economic recovery and deliver on levelling up due to their presence in communities all across the UK.

However, the industry is facing a perception problem - three in five young people say they see hospitality jobs as short term, with few realising the opportunities available. Many young people also feel like they have to move to big cities to progress in their careers, with 60% of young people thinking there are few opportunities locally for good jobs, even though almost 90% would be interested in a career or training opportunities that would allow them to stay locally.

Pubs can play an important part in reversing these worries about a lack of opportunities, by offering people the chance of finding long-term, rewarding careers in their local communities.

Our Untapping Potential Report sets out a series of new commitments from Greene King of how we will continue to create job and skills development opportunities for people from all backgrounds.

Our new commitments include:

  • Expanding our apprenticeship offer to support 5,000 new apprentices by 2025 and offering even more apprenticeship routes
  • Recruiting 300 more prison leavers into roles by 2025 through our successful Releasing Potential programme
  • Supporting 100 interns with Special Educational Needs and an Education and Health Care Plan by 2025 through our Supported Internship Programme with Landmarks Specialist College and Mencap
  • Establishing our first Greene King training kitchen within HMP Thameside – working with the prison to develop a bespoke programme for inmates to train in the kitchen, receive qualifications and be ready to work in hospitality on their release.
  • Continuing to partner with The Prince’s Trust to provide the support that 1,000 people need to help them secure a job

We welcome the work the Government has done on driving forward vocational skills policy to date. We will continue to work closely with the Government and the wider hospitality sector to unlock the full potential of pubs. Within Untapping Potential, we are therefore calling on the Government and industry to continue to work together to achieve our shared ambitions including by:

  • Working hard to promote hospitality as a valued career
  • Positioning businesses at the heart of further education and apprenticeship policy
  • Committing to cross-government collaboration to allow pubs to serve all
  • Helping businesses be able to invest more in this agenda by reducing regulatory burden

Launching the report Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King, commented:

“Pubs have always been about people, and I’ve witnessed the way a job in a pub can completely change a person’s life and become a lifelong, successful career. That’s why I’m proud that Greene King is making these commitments to provide people from all backgrounds access meaningful, rewarding careers in their local communities. Pubs have so much to offer both for those looking for careers and those in the local community. If we are to fully capitalise on this potential, government and wider industry must pull together to promote careers in hospitality and empower businesses to offer even more training and development opportunities.”

 

Minister for Levelling Up, the Union and Constitution, Neil O’Brien MP commented:

“Pubs are the lifeblood of our communities, providing a key hub for relaxing, socialising and working and Greene King’s report and commitments are an amazing example of levelling up in action. The 32 different apprenticeship options currently available will boost skills and encourage prosperity in communities. Our Levelling Up White Paper committed the government to rolling out Local Skills Improvement Plans, with funding, across England, giving local employer bodies and stakeholders a statutory role in planning the provision needed in their area. We will continue to work with the private sector and support projects like Greene King’s that bring opportunity to areas up and down the country, as we continue to honour our commitment to levelling up every corner of the UK while growing the economy to address the cost of living.”

Click here to read the full report

 

Stepping Up Report 2019

In January 2019 we launched The Stepping Up Report, challenging the barriers of social mobility and providing a commitment to create the best opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds in the hospitality sector. The report sets out five ambitions to encourage greater social mobility alongside a call for action for the Government and wider industry to do its part.

Launched at a reception in Parliament and supported by Education Secretary Damian Hinds, The Stepping Up Report comes as the prominence of social mobility as an issue continues to rise in the UK. The 2018 Social Mobility Barometer, a survey of 5,000 people carried out by The Social Mobility Commission, showed that 40% of respondents think it is getting harder for people from less advantaged backgrounds to move up in British society[1], almost twice as many as those who think it is becoming easier. Nearly half of respondents believed that where you end up in society is heavily influenced by who your parents are.

In the report, Greene King sets out five ambitions to encourage greater social mobility. Watch the video below to find out more: