A KILWINNING PR expert is joining forces with Ayrshire hospitality businesses to encourage more people to go into that line of work.

Mark McCulloch has joined forces with companies including Brew Dog and Buzzworks to encourage people to consider a career in the hospitality industry.

And since announcing the campaign online, Mark has been inundated with pledges of support from business owners.

Mark said: “We are launching a massive, long running ad campaign to promote hospitality as a desirable career option.

“Think The Army - Be The Best. To our total surprise and joy we have gathered support from over 100 hospitality operators of all shapes and sizes to launch the biggest hospitality recruitment campaign the world has ever seen.”

After a year of hospitality closures, Scotland is facing a potential industry-wide recruitment issue, however Buzzworks Holdings Chef Director, Trevor Garden, believes that offering prosperous career opportunities and nurturing talent is the key to a thriving kitchen.

Trevor said: “When I joined Buzzworks at the beginning of 2020, I set out to refine and develop the skills of the existing teams while also attracting new talent and influencing innovations in our menus.

“It’s been an unusual and challenging year for our industry, but everyone is delighted to be back.”

“However, with much of the hospitality industry having spent long periods on furlough and with time on their hands to reflect this year, there is definitely a trend of people looking to pursue dreams of monetising their hobbies and changing career paths. This, combined with Brexit uncertainty, has left a shortage of suitable candidates to fill positions in kitchens.

“Before the pandemic struck, we had invested over £130,000 in training staff across the portfolio, and had begun work on a new Buzzworks centre of excellence in our new Kilmarnock head office.

“The pandemic hasn’t stopped this ambition and we are actively looking for new team members.”

For details about current vacancies, visit www.buzzworksholdings.com/careers and anyone working in the hospitality industry can contact Mark at mark@supersonic.marketing to discuss his plans.