WITH a national shortage of skills in the hospitality industry, two organisations are working together to raise awareness and encourage more people to enter the sector.

HTP Apprenticeship College and The Royal Hotel have joined forces to give Isle of Wight students the chance to experience, first hand, a career in the hospitality industry.

Students visited The Royal, in Ventnor, where they attended a daily planning meeting and tried their hand at working with the kitchen, restaurant, reception, events and housekeeping teams.

The hotel has an ambassador role in supporting young people through apprenticeships to start careers in hospitality and tourism.

Director, Dr Greg Bailey, said: "Following the inspiring launch of the Island Careers Partnership, we are delighted to take the first step with a taster day, to help give young people a vision, ambition and belief in their future career in hospitality on the Island.

"We are looking to work with other hospitality businesses on the Island to create a more unified approach to supporting young people developing skills they need to go far and succeed in their career on the Island."

Year 11 Medina College student, Grace Cherrett, said: "It was a perfect opportunity for me to see what happens on the ground in a hotel on a daily basis. I think this was a great experience for anyone who is thinking of going into hospitality and catering."

Head of business development at HTP, Simon Attrill, said: "Being able to offer Island school pupils a real insight into the careers available in the industry is really important to help with employability skills and with their preparation for the world of work."