Sydney human resources manager believes working in hospitality makes people ‘more rounded’

Forget wandering the world, a Sydney HR manager says a year mixing cocktails or waiting tables will produce way ‘more rounded’, cashed up teenagers who are going places.

A Sydney Hospitality Group’s Human Resources Manager believes Year 12 students need to take a hospitality gap year.

Matt Jenkins is the Group HR Manager at Applejack Hospitality, which runs venues like The Butler in Potts Point and The Botanist in Kirribilli.

Jenkins believes one reason the industry is struggling to attract staff in the worker shortage crisis is down to an outdated stigma that working in hospitality is about “pouring beers and goes nowhere.”

However, he insists a year working in hospitality straight after high school is beneficial for any future career.

Applejack Hospitality’s HR Manager urges Year 12 students to take a hospitality gap year.

“Anyone who finishes school should do one year in hospitality. You will be a more well rounded and better person for it,” he said.

“Most people don’t know what they want to do straight after school, so why not take a gap year working in hospitality and discover yourself and what you really want to do.”

“You’ll learn skills that are transferable across so many industries but also if you decide to stay, there are so many pathways to go down. It’s not about just pouring beers and being yelled at by customers.”

Jenkins and the Applejack Group has decided to host its own job fair to entire staff into the industry after being disappointed by the hospitality industry’s representation at the government’s recent two-day long Jobs and Skills Summit.

Applejack combats hospitality's staffing crisis by holding their own Job Fair. They are hoping to recruit for venues such as Bopp & Tone Kitchen.

The group is holding the fair at their soon to be open venue Rafi, in North Sydney on September 14th. Jenkins said it was an opportunity to challenge any stigmas about working in hospitality.

Participants will also have the opportunity to interview for jobs, meet the owners of the business and win prizes and Applejack vouchers.

Combating the staff shortage crisis has lead to creative ways of hiring for other businesses across the city.

This past week, Dan Murphy’s stores have been holding in-store interviews.

The brand’s incoming Managing Director Agi Pfeiffer-Smith said the response was “fantastic.”

While Sydney Restaurant Group, which operates 15 venues include Aqua Dining and Ormeggio at The Spit is offering a $5000 sign-on bonus to staff to combat the worker shortage crisis.