The British Takeaway Campaign, an umbrella group representing those involved in the supply and preparation of takeaway food, today (Wednesday) commented on the Spring Statement.

Ibrahim Dogus, Chair of the British Takeaway Campaign, said:

“With 61% of takeaways finding it difficult to recruit staff, it is imperative that the Government adopts a joined up approach to catering skills for the takeaway sector if it is to plug the skills shortages for specialist chefs and front of house staff.

“The BTC welcomes the Government’s commitment to domestic vocational education. We have high hopes for the T Level, which, with the right design and implementation, can go some way to creating a pipeline of talent for the sector – and we are working to ensure the syllabus meets the needs of the sector through our role on the Government’s employer panel.

“Whilst we are delighted to work with the Department for Education on the Catering and Hospitality T Level to upskill domestic workers, these efforts are undermined by the way the Government talks about those exact same skills in relation to immigration.  How can we attract young people to our businesses if the Government believes they are of no value? We need a consistent approach throughout Government – especially when some skills can only be sourced from regions across the globe that have specialisms in particular cuisines.

“That’s why we are calling for the revision of the Shortage Occupation List to revoke the arbitrary ‘takeaway clause’ that states that specialist chefs are only allowed to work in restaurants which do not have a takeaway function. We are also calling for a transition period that would give businesses sufficient time to allow for the training of domestic workers.”