Simon Tucker-Brown, CEO of psd, was invited to the University of Sunderland to a Hospitality Conference to discuss, ‘Has Hospitality Lost its Way?’ and to offer his advice on getting into the industry.

Simon encourages graduates to go for a Graduate Scheme Programme to help further their career in the hospitality industry, arguing that this route will give you exposure to all different parts of the sector, helping to accelerate your career.

“It is all about network and experiences and, I don’t just mean work experiences and previous internships, I mean it’s the other things you do, the extracurricular activities that can show a linkage if you like between your passions and the workplace… it’s about being as prepared as possible.”

A Graduate Scheme is a structured training programme that is run by an employer to develop future leaders of their organisation. Lasting usually for a couple of years, the employee will benefit from being handed responsibility from the outset, which gives them the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and develop a broad understanding of the sector as well as building key skills and benefitting from consistent support throughout.

With a huge range of benefits, Graduate Schemes are becoming incredibly popular with demand for places increasing every year. Simon adds, “They are competitive… don’t just rely on one, see if you can get onto as many as possible.”

Watch the full video above which features Simon, and other professionals in the Hospitality Sector, who offer their tips and advice for kickstarting a career in the industry.