Hospitality partners with Government to deliver 100,000 jobs for young people
October 15, 2026
Britain's leading hospitality businesses commit to hiring 100,000 young people not in education, employment or training through a major partnership we are leading with the Government.
As part of the partnership, major employers will provide paid employment as well as work experience and training opportunities for 18 to 24-year-olds who are not in education, work or training.
Members including Whitbread, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Marriott, Compass, Burger King, Parkdean Resorts, Haven, Fuller’s, Merlin Entertainments, Stonegate Group, Mitchells and Butler, Wagamama, Sodexo, WSH Limited and De Vere will target 100,000 paid jobs by the end of the Parliament – offering these young people the chance to gain skills, confidence and experience.
What's in the announcement?
- 1
A partnership targeting 100,000 first starts in hospitality through jobs, training opportunities and work experience.
- 2
An initial group of businesses joining forces with us to deliver this target by the end of the Parliament.
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Expanded access to the Hospitality Skills Passport, which is a significant inclusion that delivers routes into employment for young people and is cost-saving for members.
Today’s announcement is very much the first step.
This is a live partnership and is open to more businesses joining. I would encourage any member interested in being included to reach out to us.
Allen Simpson, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “Hospitality is the number one employer of young people in the economy, providing valuable and rewarding routes into work.
“This announcement demonstrates the Government’s recognition of hospitality as a critical sector to solve the NEETs crisis and we’re pleased to work together on this partnership to target 100,000 job opportunities for NEET young people, as well as on creating the right conditions for growth.
“Expanding access to support for the Hospitality Skills Passport, which has already seen enormous success, is incredibly positive and will rightly form a significant pillar of our work together to achieve this goal.”
Members can learn more about the announcement, including how it was pulled together and what's coming next.
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