Bath’s hospitality and tourism firms battling with staff shortages are set to benefit from a new jobs website built by city-based software company Cognisess.
The site, commissioned by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and officially launched this week in Bath, will enable businesses to post vacancies while jobseekers can log on to find out about opportunities in the sector.
They will also be able to upload digital CVs that will be shared with recruiters, search and apply for positions in the region’s pubs, restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions and test their skills through online games.
Called Jobs Connect (jobsconnectwest.co.uk), it has been launched against a backdrop of an incredible 675% rise in hospitality vacancies on last year, according to ONS figures, triggered by a combination of the impacts of Brexit and the pandemic.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who leads WECA, officially launched Jobs Connect at Bath pub The Salamander, which has struggled to fill vacancies.
“Jobs Connect is a bit like a dating agency for jobs. Job seekers and businesses upload their profiles and the website plays matchmaker,” he said.
“Individuals can do personality tests to figure out their compatibility and there are top tips to make sure you put your best side forward and stand out from the crowd.
“By launching Jobs Connect, I hope to make it easier for people to access the varied roles that this vibrant industry offers.”
He also said the website was seeking to change perceptions of the sector.
“Hospitality doesn’t mean a temporary solution of waiting tables to see you through; it can be a varied, high-skilled, career for life,” he said.
“We have some amazing tourist attractions and brilliant places to eat out in the West of England. By developing Jobs Connect, we are matching up more people with the many restaurants, pubs, hotels, bed and breakfasts, campsites and attractions across the region, ensuring we thrive in the future.”
The Salamander owner and company director James King added: “As a hospitality careerist, from bartender to chef to management to business owner, I have felt the struggles of recruitment within the industry from all angles.
“This is especially the case after Brexit and a pandemic, with so many staff heading home to Europe.
“The impact on hospitality front-line workers, having to push harder to cover the staff shortfall and the difficulties for management and owners to fill those gaps, has been great.”
He said Jobs Connect aimed to bring together the right staff for the right businesses with the addition that staff can test their skillset, helping point them towards jobs best suited to them.
“I think the work WECA has put into this project can have a strong impact on the culture of hospitality recruitment and the overall perception of a career in this incredibly rewarding industry,” he said.
WECA brought in Cognisess, which provides a market-leading software platform that helps businesses identify, nurture and retain talent, to build Jobs Connect.
Cognisess’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) HR tools streamline selection with time-saving features such as job pages, real time analytics and profiling tools.
Its people assessment, measurement and reporting tools are used by HR and recruitment professionals to make better informed, data-led people resourcing decisions.
The firm is recognised as an innovator in the rapidly evolving science of AI and predictive HR analytics.
Pictured: Metro Mayor Dan Norris launches Jobs Connect at The Salamander in Bath with its director James King
