Blue Arrow Catering has called on school and college careers advisors to do more to promote catering as a challenging and respected career choice.

Kirstie Batt, Blue Arrow’s catering division manager, says: “For too long catering has not been given the kudos it deserves by careers advisors. The advent of the celebrity chef phenomenon and greater popularity of fine dining has done a great deal to boost the profile but there is still more that can be done, particularly if we are to attract the high achievers needed to drive the industry forward.”

The catering industry’s Sector Skills Council, People 1st, estimates that the food and hospitality industry needs to generate £886m each year to cover recruitment costs.