Kenyan staff could shore up hospitality

Friday 10 January 2020

The hospitality industry could soon be looking to highly-qualified African staff to help solve recruitment woes.

Jersey Hospitality Association CEO Simon Soar and GR8 Recruitment MD Lee Madden were in Guernsey yesterday for a Chamber of Commerce-hosted event exploring how non-EU staff can help to address staff shortages in Guernsey.

Many big players from across the local hospitality industry were at the talk and, despite some scrutiny of the recruitment fees, several showed interest in having staff in place by April.

Chamber of Commerce Hospitality Sub-Group Joint Head Alan Sillett, Managing Director of the Duke of Normandie, is already going through the process and is appointing two members of staff.

The JHA has taken the lead in helping Jersey prevent a staff crisis, working with recruitment partners outside of Europe and taking on the administrative burden for the workers' immigration to the island.

Pictured: Simon Soar fielded questions from local hoteliers and restaurateurs. 

The resource has proven popular across the water and Mr Soar is now offering the same service in Guernsey for employers wanting to fill vacancies with "loyal, dedicated and passionate staff". 

The main link-up has been with Kenyan workers who graduate from Utalli College’s Alumni Association, via Jersey-based recruiter GR8, who go to the prestigious college and meet potential workers who have applied for jobs in the Channel Islands. 

To qualify for the rigorous interview process, which took place at the back end of last year, candidates had to have:

• an accreditation from a recognised hospitality training provider;
• a minimum of two years’ experience in the industry;
• the required documentation;
• a current Police check;
• consented to a health check prior to travelling to Jersey;
• Research and give a presentation on the island and its culture;
• a “true desire” to work in the island’s hospitality sector.

Discussions have taken place with authorities in Guernsey, Mr Soar told the audience.

"I have had conversations with immigration this morning and they are happy with it," he said.

Lee Madden is one of his recruitment partners, and all the staff he has on his database for consideration by employers have gone through the above process. 

Pictured: A slide showing the first year costs of recruiting through GR8. 

"They all speak great English, they are loyal and I have never known people who are so passionate about the work - they really want to work in the industry. They take pride in what they do and they want to get repeat customers."

Mr Soar, who also works with partners in Rwanda, and the Philippines, said the JHA carries out checks to ensure all staff's qualifications are real. On top of that, they serve as a single point of contact for immigration and identify any problems that might arise. 

For example, they will find out if a potential employee had a family and their living circumstances, such as deeds on a property, to make sure they have something to go back to at the end of their 9 months on, 3 months off Visa application.

"Making sure they have that validation behind them is important," he said. "The last thing you want to see is them turning up with their life's possessions in a backpack. We require them to have two years' industry experience as a minimum to make sure they aren't the kind of person to use the Visa as entry, and then go off and get lost in the system."

Pictured top: Lee Madden at the Chamber of Commerce and, inset, an image from GR8 Recruitment of Kenyan interviewees.