The 2012 Olympics will boost lower level hospitality roles and not necessarily apprenticeships, recruiters have claimed.

Brian Wisdom, chief executive of sector skills council for hospitality People 1st, has called upon employers to recruit apprenticeships to bridge the employment gap in areas such as chefs, customer service teams and managers.

Jacqui Sterry, director at hospitality staffing firm Mise en Place, told Recruiter that the games will foster a demand for cooks rather than skilled chefs. “It will provide more volume work than anything else. It will provide jobs at lower levels.”

Nina Johnson-Bennett, managing director at hospitality recruiter Management Search Executive, adds: “The Olympics will certainly boost the hospitality sector. The food around the Olympics will not be gourmet cuisine. It is going to be popular catering. As to whether apprenticeships starting now are going to be needed, I am not convinced.”