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View video interview at NZI Business with Steve Hanrahan, CEO HSI.

The Recession Response plan is designed to help businesses provide staff with nationally-recognised training to ensure the industry has skilled personnel to succeed in the near future. The plan aligns with the outcomes of the Government’s Job Summit by actively assisting industry recovery.

“We have developed this extra support to keep people in training so when the economy improves we still have hospitality businesses with good solid training cultures and staff with the right skills,” said HSI’s Chief Executive Steve Hanrahan.

The plan underlines HSI’s commitment to growing the hospitality industry and provides real benefits to businesses by increasing subsidies for small businesses by 25% and increasing travel allowances for apprentices to attend off-job training courses. HSI is also advocating changes to government policy to grow the availability of Modern Apprenticeships for those aged over 21 years.  

HSI will also work with hospitality industry associations on ways to quickly raise management capability to positively respond to the economic downturn, and investigate partnerships with Government agencies such as the Ministry of Social Development and Work and Income New Zealand to assist people relocating to new jobs within the industry. The plan will take effect from 1 June and run until the end of the year.

Mr Hanrahan says that demand for hospitality training is holding up overall, with many businesses actively using training to help them improve their business practices during the economic downturn. “Our plan is aimed at supporting businesses to keep up their current training as well as making it more accessible for small businesses who want to upskill their staff now,” Mr Hanrahan said.

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