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Hospitality & Food Service


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Why Have a Career in Hospitality & Food Service?

Hospitality represents 11.1 percent of total private sector employment, employing over 250,000 workers in more than 15,000 businesses in 2020. The Hospitality industry was the most severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is reflected in 2020 employment data. Hospitality employment declined an average 2.7 percent per year from 2015 to 2020. Hospitality industry wages averaged $22,154 in 2020. Overall this is lower than the state average of $54,801 for all industries due to the large number of entry-level jobs in this industry. Some occupations that can be obtained with on-the-job experience have higher pay. For example, average wages for a Food Service Manager are $59,490 and average wages for Lodging Managers are $61,730.

There are a variety of careers in the Hospitality fields of Administrative & Support Services, Sales & Marketing, Food Service, and Entertainment.

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Requirements:

Key = Honors, Dual Credit, Advanced Placement, Half Credit, Full Credit

Know the Basics

The Hospitality industry depends on the ability to deliver products and services to customers in a timely and courteous manner, so dependability, adaptability, and flexibility are necessary. Soft skills, such as interpersonal skills, professionalism, and dependability are important in all industries and occupations, especially in customer service occupations found in the Hospitality industry. The ability to communicate with customers and co-workers is crucial for success in this industry.

Skills needed for Success

Hospitality careers have a set of industry-wide technical competencies that represent the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in this industry. Quality assurance, cost control, marketing, and sales, as well as knowledge of operations and procedures are some of the skills that may be necessary for success.