CELTH signs Hospitality Pact

Compass

The Pact offers all actors in the Dutch hospitality sector a compass to actively work on research, the social policy aimed at being a good employer, vocational solid education for the entire professional column (VMBO, MBO, HBO and WO), an infrastructure for Lifelong Learning and labour market promotion. In concrete terms, the Hospitality Pact also includes an action agenda for 2023-2024 in which concrete goals have been formulated.

"By working together, we can combine knowledge and efforts and thus respond more effectively to challenges in the hospitality labour market and education," says Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN), which is therefore happy to join the Hospitality Pact. It is also special that several large companies are co-signing and taking joint responsibility. “The Hospitality Pact is the start of what will hopefully be a fruitful collaboration in the longer term. The pact is a course document. Concrete actions result from this, with which we together ensure that we can meet our personnel demand, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in the field of branding, employment conditions policy, lifelong learning, and innovation.”

Ambitions

With the Hospitality Pact as a guiding document, all parties involved in the hospitality sector work together to achieve the goals regarding human capital. This keeps the hospitality sector competitive with other sectors. The ambitions are large and can be divided into three subjects. This should make the multiple values of the sector more visible. This concerns our contribution to economic growth, broad prosperity, well-being, employment, sustainability, and social cohesion. In addition, the opportunities for employees in the sector must be better highlighted. Finally, the parties must jointly ensure a sufficient influx of qualified and yet-to-be qualified talents in the labour market and in hospitality training.

ANVR strongly supported cross-sectoral cooperation within the various hospitality sectors for years: "From the firm conviction that there is more that binds us than that separates us, also in the field of the labor market and education. But also, that cooperation yields more than the sum of its parts for the participating parties.” ANVR expects this collaboration to bring the broad hospitality sector to the attention as the most attractive sector to work in, from students, returners, transferers and lateral entrants. We hope that the (new) talents eventually choose a career or a continuation of their career at one of the ANVR travel companies, still, if they would like to take the next step in their career over time, then they should realise that there are extensive career opportunities in the broad hospitality industry.”

Challenges and opportunities

The direct reason for the cooperation within the pact is the significant challenges that the hospitality sector, like other sectors, has to contend with. These relate to the inflow and outflow of talent, being a good employer, job security and income, image and technology and digitalisation. In addition, the necessary sustainability of the sector requires different knowledge and skills. There are also plenty of opportunities in the hospitality sector. For example, work in the sector is attractive, with jobs for every level of education, many development opportunities, and the demand for employees is increasing.

Collaboration and innovation are necessary for a successful future for the sector. Menno Stokman, director of CELTH: “The sector is important for the Dutch economy and society. We are very relevant economically, with a turnover of 91.2 billion euros and a share of 4.5% in the gross national product. The hospitality sector also generates more than 800,000 jobs, which is 7.5% of all jobs in the Netherlands. In addition to earning capacity and employment, this sector promotes quality of life and well-being by contributing to social connection and cohesion. In short, a sector that is increasingly contributing to the broad prosperity of all Dutch people. And those who work in the hospitality sector develop social skills that are in demand everywhere.”

CELTH stake

The Hospitality Pact consists of four program lines, in which CELTH takes responsibility in: research & innovation and education policy. CELTH is starting a learning community of human capital to benefit the research and innovation program line. In that community, research and best practices must lead to working differently and more innovative within the hospitality sector while maintaining an optimal hospitality experience. Education must also continue to develop to remain optimally aligned with labour market demand. This requires the development of an appropriate training infrastructure for the sector at all levels. The challenge for HBO is to continue working with the branches on top courses with up-to-date state-of-the-art curricula and internships for the sector.

Partners

The Hospitality Pact has been drawn up under the direction of the Hospitality Economy Collaboration Taskforce and is supported by Koninklijke Horeca Nederland, ANVR, HISWA-RECRON, CLC-VECTA and Veneca, the MBO council, HBO and the Center of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH), employee organisation FNV Horecabond, a collective of nationally operating companies and was established with the support of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. The cooperation between the sector, education and the government (triple helix) give the hospitality sector the clout it needs to develop the field further, contribute to employment, and contribute to prosperity and well-being.