BOXPARK launches hospitality traineeship for young people

@BoxparkWembley Hosts #KICKSTART Jobs Fair to Support Young People into Hospitality 

BOXPARK Wembley joined forces with the DWP and hospitality training providers Barfection to host a Traineeship and Kickstart recruitment fair last week to help young people access a range of opportunities, especially in hospitality. 

The event was a roaring success with over 250 people being offered jobs on the day, and many more signing up for traineeship schemes and courses. Over 75 employers attended the jobs fair, including SMEs and global companies which were out to engage with the 700 young people seeking a new career path. 

At the event, BOXPARK announced it will be joining a new bespoke traineeship programme in partnership with Barfection, which will involve a combination of training and employment for those who want to work in the hospitality sector, giving young people valuable experience at a buzzing venue whilst acquiring a qualification via Barfection. 

The new traineeship model proved popular on the day, with plenty of young people applying, showing interest, and wanting to get involved. The promise of a job at BOXPARK certainly won the hearts of many as the venue attracts hundreds of young visitors every week who come to enjoy its culturally-led events, food, drink and leisure activities.

Young people in attendance took part in a series of masterclasses led by Barfection, who offer hospitality-based traineeships to help progress those aged 16-24 and unemployed. The sessions provided an insight into their Bartender Traineeship and featured a fun mocktail workshop to keep visitors engaged. Barfection also brought along Arro Coffee and D&D London to increase the hospitality exposure of the day, and both were involved in the traineeship scheme.

The DWP and Barfection co-hosted the event, inviting over 1,000 young people along, as well as 40 employers. They aimed to give young people access to the Kickstart Scheme they have developed, and to help those in the same age bracket avoid long-term unemployment by creating six-month, government-paid job placements. 

Following the event’s success, there are already plans in place to host another recruitment fair with the DWP at its Croydon site, to assist many more young people into employment, and provide a stepping stone to those without any experience or qualifications.

BOXPARK COO, Ben McLaughlin comments:

“We are thrilled to take part in the DWP’s traineeship scheme offering young people access to hospitality careers and valuable experience in a lively and exciting environment. Through the traineeship, there are fantastic career opportunities in the hospitality sector with no barriers to entry or prior experience required, which can lead to viable, long-term careers in management and other roles. We are passionate about promoting hospitality employment and playing our part to support under 25s who have been hit the hardest by unemployment as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The DWP London & Essex Kickstart Events Manager Omobola Odutayo said:

“It was great to co-host this recruitment event at Boxpark Wembley helping local young jobseekers take their first steps into hospitality through the Kickstart Scheme. Our Plan for Jobs and national network of DWP Jobcentres are supporting sectors to recruit new talent, from hospitality, to health and construction – and supporting jobseekers to add new skills so they can grab that next opportunity.”

Barfection Managing Director, Thomas Nolan comments on its hospitality traineeship:

“We provide traineeships for youngsters who would like to start a career in the Hospitality sector, and with Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic there is a huge demand from hospitality employers. Hence, why we decided to work with the local communities and with young jobseekers who are seeking employment within the sector. With our Traineeship, we give young people the opportunity to train and be ready to start their first step towards a career in hospitality – over 90% of our trainees get employed at the end of the traineeship.”