In a bid to showcase careers in hospitality to young people the new £43m Novotel hotel in Liverpool is launching an outreach programme with four local schools. Tony McDonough reports

After opening in July the £43m Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village hotel is now reaching out to teenagers to offer an insight into careers in hospitality.

This project will see a collaboration with four local schools. They are The Academy of St Francis of Assisi, Archbishop Blanch, The Academy of St Nicholas, and Notre Dame Cathloic College.

Pupils aged 13 to 16 will participate in six bespoke workshops. These will see the young people working closely with a number of departments including the cafe, kitchen, front of house, sales, bar, and housekeeping.

Pre-pandemic Liverpool city region’s visitor economy was worth an estimated £5bn a year. Its recovery is now well under way but the sector is now experiencing a chronic shortage of people and skills.

Hospitality has traditionally been seen as a low skill, low wage section of the labour market. And while it is a transient choice for many young people who go on to forge careers in other sectors, it does offer a pathway to a higher skilled and higher paid career.

Howard Lewis, general manager of the new Novotel, said: “I am excited to be welcoming students from the local area to come and visit the hotel. I am also eager for them to see what amazing opportunities await for those who may not have considered a career in the hospitality industry as a viable option.

“The end goal for the outreach programme is to create a working environment that builds a legacy within the local community. It will start by educating local students on the diverse range of jobs available in the sector. I also want to present working at the hotel as something to aspire to.

Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village has been chosen as the flagship hotel for the new £1bn Paddington Village development. Built by Morgan Sindall Construction, the city council-owned hotel is franchised by Accor. It is being managed by Legacy Hotels & Resorts on the council’s behalf.

HR manager Amber Howard added: “The feedback we received from the teachers was that a lot of the students were receptive and engaged by the opportunity to work at the Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village.

“Some of the students come from low income backgrounds and had therefore never stepped foot inside a hotel before. So for us to pass on these types of opportunities to local students is very important indeed.”