The apocryphal story is sometimes told amongst those in the catering industry about the parents who wanted to find a job for their son. The story goes that the young man finally found a job in catering only after he was deemed not tall enough for the Garda and not dynamic enough for the civil service catering was seen as something of a last resort for those with few other options. This tale is, of course, grossly unfair to the many thousands of skilled and dedicated workers in the hotel and catering industry, but it does betray the very negative view of the industry among the general public. Catering is still seen as an unattractive option for job-seekers; as an industry where people work long anti-social hours for low wages and few benefits.
Given this perception, few will be surprised by yesterday's CERT report which highlights the continuing failure of the industry to attract its fair share of school-leavers. All the evidence certainly points to a recruitment crisis in the industry; over 50 per cent of those who applied for training in catering did not follow through, while the overall number of those applying for training in the industry is actually declining - despite the increase in school-leavers and the virtual guarantee of full-time employment. In all the circumstances, the chairman of CERT, Mr James Nugent, was well advised to issue a warning note yesterday that the recruitment problem could jeopardise future growth in the industry.
Mr Nugent was robust in his defence of the industry yesterday, arguing that it scarcely deserves its poor image and that it has gained scant credit for the number and calibre of jobs that it provides. There is much merit in the view that, broadly speaking, conditions have improved in the industry and that many employers have put in place well-structured training programmes. But the situation remains patchy and uneven; indeed the disclosure in today's Irish Times that a number of Dublin hotels are now using a Madrid agency to recruit Spanish staff for low-paid jobs will do little to bolster the image of the industry.
Few fair-minded people can dispute the view that the hotel and catering industry has only itself to blame for its poor image. The recruitment of low-cost Spanish labour may help to fill a gap but it will do little to convince the average school-leaver that the industry offers them an enticing long-term career. For its part, the Government can help to address the recruitment crisis by setting standard minimum rates of pay and by seeking to ensure that there is a well-established career path for each entrant to the profession.
But the State can only achieve so much; there is also an onus on the industry to reform itself. As the Minister for Trade and Tourism, Mr Kenny, noted earlier this year, there is still a minority that seem more interested in a quick buck and fail to take a longer perspective". The task for the industry now, as it enjoys a period of unprecedented growth, is to demonstrate a real commitment to better pay and conditions for its workers. This is the best means of throwing off its dowdy image. It is also the only long-term solution to the current recruitment crisis.