Campari pledges £60K to new hospitality hardship initiative

Campari Group UK has pledged a commitment to the hospitality industry by becoming a founding partner of Develop, a new industry vocational hardship initiative launched by The Drinks Trust.

The spirits company has made an initial commitment of £60,000 to the scheme, which aims to train and place over 750 staff in the first 12 months of operations.

Brad Madigan, Managing Director for Campari Group UK, said: “It is so important to us at Campari Group UK to play a role in the development of our drinks and hospitality industry, and we hope this investment will not only benefit the industry as a whole – but in particular to operator businesses who continue to struggle with staffing and skills shortages. We are proud to be joining forces with The Drinks Trust yet again and play a role in this initiative – we very much look forward to welcoming the first graduates of the Develop scheme into our vibrant industry.”

One in five workers left the sector during the pandemic, according to industry bodies. The drinks hospitality industry has experienced a shortage of skilled workers as a result of numerous Covid-19 lockdowns, Brexit, a lack of entrants and a national talent drain.

The Develop programme was conceived to provide a long term solution to skilled workers in the industry facing hardship, aiming to provide them with an opportunity to have a successful career within the sector.

Beneficiaries of the scheme will receive training, vocational and classroom-based courses provided by The Drinks Trust in collaboration with leading skills and education providers. Develop will provide training, grants, resources, and bursaries to those in the industry facing hardship to improve their skills.

The first participating service providers to be announced include WSET, Mixology Group, IBD, Beer and Cider Academy, European Bartender School, and Julia Bailey, accredited career and executive coach. Providers will range in specialisms across beer, cider, spirits and wine, and skills-based providers will offer services to improve interview techniques, CV building, and how to approach businesses looking for staff.

Ross Carter, CEO of The Drinks Trust, said: “In March 2020, just ahead of the first lockdown, The Drinks Trust set out its plan to provide new services across both wellbeing and vocational hardship. Since then, we have made financial relief as a result of COVID-19 our priority, and in the last six months we have been working to deliver the promised services set out in March of last year. We are now able to deliver on that commitment and Develop comes at a time when the industry is in urgent need of new, skilled entrants.

“Develop will allow The Drinks Trust to deliver on its 135-year-old purpose of alleviating hardship, but now with a longer-term solution for beneficiaries and even greater opportunity. We are asking industry leaders to consider the Develop scheme and the value it holds in growing our sector, to the benefit of us all.”