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People from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds attended the Emplea Turismo fair at the Palacio de Ferias in Torremolinos, in the hopes of securing one of the 1,800 positions that the tourism industry on the Costa de Sol will need to fill before the start of the high season at the end of this month. The number of applicants, who queued in front of the stands of 70 companies, was around 1,500. Among them were students, recent graduates, people over the age of 50, as well as foreigners.
In total, the Costa del Sol tourism sector will need 8,000 new workers this summer. The fair seeks to fill positions for the Holy Week, which is the first wave of summer tourism.
The event hosted not only companies, but also training centres and hospitality schools, such as Hotel Escuela Convento de Santo Domingo, which aimed to attract high school students for the next term.
Queues stretched out behind almost every stand and more than a hundred CVs were collected in just two hours by some of the companies. Employers were specifically focused on finding waiting and kitchen staff. Remedios Miralles, corporate director at Holiday World, stated that what they were looking for is passion and love for the tourism sector, highlighting that jobs in the hospitality industry offer growth. On the other hand, Mónica Gómez, HR director at Sol Torremolinos, said that they are "looking for people who want to work".
1,800
jobs with an immediate start were offered by companies at the Emplea Turismo fair
Some applicants were hired on the spot, even though not everybody was fortunate enough. However, most attendees were optimistic. "It's a great opportunity. I am very positive. I've just finished my English language studies, I'm a chess teacher and I think the hotel industry can offer me a great job alternative. I also speak German," said Sebastian, 24, as he went from queue to queue handing out his CV.
Another applicant, Claire, attended several interviews, listing her experience in hotel reception in Austria and Tenerife, her fluency in English, French and German and her training as an HR graduate with a Master's degree she is currently finishing in event organisation. "I am looking for a job in reception or in HR. I have just arrived on the Costa del Sol and I think I might have a chance," she said.
People over the age of 40 were less optimistic. "Age is a burden. They are looking for experienced professionals, but then they don't want employees that old," said Elsie Moreno, 52, who has experience as a hotel manager in the UAE, Malaysia, Mexico and London, in addition to being fluent in English, French, Russian and Mandarin Chinese.
Jesús Arce, director of the Hotel Escuela Convento de Santo Domingo, said that the training facility is offering 105 places for the school's upcoming term. "99% of our students find work as soon as they finish. The problem now is that they go to work before they finish, because they are inundated with offers," he said.
Organisers of the event Javier Frutos, Manuel Villafaina and José Luque stated that the lack of qualified personnel is one of the main problems in the sector, but they are positive that the fair was a success in finding talent.
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