Ready for a job in Antwerp catering industry: 32 foreign-language newcomers received intensive training ‘Hospitality Heroes’ | Antwerp
AntwerpThe hospitality industry has an acute shortage of workers. An interesting initiative to do something about this is the intensive ‘Hospitality Heroes’ training of the sector fund of the hospitality industry, the city of Antwerp and the VDAB. On Mondays, 32 foreign-language newcomers receive their certificates as dishwashers, room staff and kitchen and dining room staff.
The figures a few months ago no doubt: there were three as many vacancies in the catering industry as in 2021. But you have to find enough people. In Antwerp, about forty candidates were selected for the ‘Hopitality Heroes’.
It concerned job seekers with early retirement health insurance and non-native speakers, young people and newcomers with immediate pending asylum applications. The final piece was a stage at 32 catering companies.
Talent
“In this way, we bring hospitality and talent together, with a training package tailored to people with a distance to the labor market,” says Tom Meeuws (Vooruit) alderman for Social Economy.
His colleague for Work and Economy Erica Caluwaerts (Open Vld) points to the 28,500 jobseekers from Antwerp who were without a job at the end of May. “Half of them are short-skilled. In addition, we see many open vacancies, specifically in the hospitality industry. The ‘Hospitality Heroes’ is one of the steps to eliminate the ‘mismatch’ in the labor market.”
Several students already have a job, others receive guidance to be able to take that last step.
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