The association says the industry needs workers not only with a good standard of English, but also an understanding of the British culture, particularly for front-of-house work, such as reception, reservations, conferences, waiting and bar-tending.
The association says that, with over 85% of visitors to Jersey coming from the UK, staff need to understand the ‘quirks’ of British culture as well as stronger regional accents.
The association also wants to take on more staff from Kenya.
Maria Hurley, the association’s recruitment and training manager, said: ‘Kenyan staff have proved to be a great asset – they have all been trained at one of the best colleges in the southern hemisphere and English is their mother tongue.
But at the moment they can only come back to Jersey if they work for the same employer.
‘We do try to encourage staff to come from the UK and we are always trying to get local people interested – they know the Island and the culture.’
