Apprenticeship in the Hospitality Industry: Challenges, Sustainability and Wishes for the Future

Training in the Hotel Industry – Overtime and Lack of Quality

When it comes to training, the hospitality industry paints a bleak picture. For years, hoteliers have been crying out over the lack of prospective trainees. Existing apprenticeships are not being filled and the reputation of the industry is more than just tarnished. The latest apprenticeship report from the German Federation of Trade Unions, for which average young people were asked about their apprenticeship, confirms this.

In almost all points considered, but especially in the quality of training and overtime, the hospitality apprenticeships for hotel managers and chefs scored the worst. Accordingly, both professions ranked poorly in the overall assessment.

No wonder that only half of the surveyed hotel management trainees are satisfied with their training. For comparison: industrial mechanics, at the top end of the list, have over 80 per cent satisfaction.

Something Needs to Change

In addition to the lack of trainees, more and more skilled workers are leaving, especially to the industrial sector, notes the STURM in the Bavarian Rhön. „A calculation that does not balance and, above all, is not sustainable,” they summarise.

Sustainability in training – However, this does not only mean imparting values and teaching material but also treating the team fairly, paying overtime, setting working hours, and providing high-quality training. According to the Hotel Das Rübezahl in Schwangau, it is important that the negative image of apprenticeships is improved. This is what the romantic hotel, which has been named a top training company by DEHOGA, is fighting for with high-quality training.

Good Apprenticeship = Sustainable Apprenticeship?

So what constitutes good training in the hospitality industry? Much can be concluded from the training report and the demands expressed within it, including overtime as an exception, not the rule, guaranteed employment after training, and more involvement for trainees.

We asked the sustainable hotels in the Green Pearls® network how they experience the situation, what they value in training, and how they ensure the quality of training in the long term.

Sustainable Apprenticeship

The Berghotel Rehlegg explains that communication and their relationships with the guests are what makes their industry special. Therefore, the apprentices are directly involved in the work with and for the guests from day one. The hotel in the Berchtesgaden National Park wants to prepare its trainees for their professional life in the best possible way. This also includes that the young trainees have the chance to experience all departments that are relevant to their apprenticeship. The Berghotel also wants to convey that even small habitual changes in one’s own everyday life do something good for nature. Be it in saving waste and plastic or in the quality of one’s own food.

Apprenticeships at the Tyrolean Hotel Klosterbräu are based on the hotel’s YOUNIQUE concept: YOU = you, the guest & the employee and their wishes and UNIQUE = the uniqueness of the hotel and its services.

Building on this, the focus is on a familiar, warm and friendly atmosphere. Honest and authentic hospitality is a guiding principle in all areas, including apprenticeships. It takes precedence over all other skills and makes the Klosterbräu a special place for holidaymakers and staff alike.

By the way, the hotel’s staff accommodation is within walking distance, so there is no need for a car to get to work. Seefeld also offers very good bus and train connections for commuters.

The Hotel Das Rübezahl in Allgäu has set itself the goal of retaining apprentices in the industry. Essential for this is high-quality training and a better image of the industry. A big task, but at least at Hotel Das Rübezahl it seems to be succeeding: Almost 10 percent of the hotel team are apprentices or dual students. And the fact that they feel at home is evident in numerous projects. Alexander Thurm, owner of the hotel, proudly reports, for example, about the last independent project of the trainees. In the “Herzensaktion zum Weihnachtsfest” (Action of the heart for Christmas), the apprentices organised the Christmas campaign for Schwangau’s St. Nicholas market and for the citizens of Schwangau. In addition to baking biscuits and making chutneys, the trainee team also took care of the overall organisation.

In addition to the apprenticeship in the hotel, the Hotel Das Rübezahl also offers another special training location. Based on the apprenticeship in cooking or restaurant management, an apprenticeship as a mountain hut caterer can be realised at the hotel’s own alpine hut. In addition to the mountain air and the magnificent panorama, this training offers a lot of variety, as you have to be much more of an „all-rounder” than you would down in the valley, Alexander Thurm describes with a twinkle in his eye.

The focus of the apprenticeship at the Bavarian Klosterhof – Alpine Hideaway and Spa is clearly on an added social value. A warm atmosphere and respectful interaction are very important, writes the hotel. The result: a familiar working atmosphere and flat hierarchies that exist not only on paper. From the very beginning, trainees are encouraged to contribute their own ideas and suggestions. Trainee projects such as the Christmas raffle for a good cause or the tea training, which was subsequently filmed and edited for social media, provide a protected space in which trainees and dual students can take on responsibility and organization.

During training and work at the Klosterhof, the focus is on the individual with his or her abilities and interests. Communication and exchange in trainee meetings, development discussions, and everyday business are just as much a part of the framework as gaining comprehensive knowledge of the tourism industry and the work processes in the hotel and hospitality sector. The fact that this works and is well received is proven by the Klosterhof’s current award on the kununu platform as a „Top Company”.

A particular concern is to inspire young people about the industry and their own sustainability philosophy, Lisa-Marie Standl from the Klosterhof summarizes. In this way, they hope to counteract the negative trend among young people.

By the way: The Klosterhof is a year-round business. So unlike in other tourism businesses, there are no seasonal fluctuations and insecure working conditions, but rather year-round, secure employment.