Working in the Service Sector

Preaction

Do you have a job? If so, where do you work and what do you do? Make a class overview of your work experience.

Working in the Service Sector

The UK service sector has been growing steadily, and it now employs as much as 80% of the workforce. Since the 2008 recession, the service sector has had an average yearly growth of 1.6%, making it the best-performing sector in the years 2008–2018. The construction sector, on the other hand, has had an average growth of 1.3% (Office for National Statistics, 2018).

You can find a wide range of job opportunities in the service sector, for instance, in retail, communications, hotel and restaurant work, finance and business, public administration, education and health care. Many of these companies are searching for skilled workers, and they offer attractive training and development opportunities to both graduates and nongraduates.

Even if you are not planning to work within the service sector, if you are customer oriented, helpful and polite, these key skills will be valuable in your work life and in life in general.

graduate trainee scheme lærlingeordning produce råvarer rewarding givende/givande Job opportunities Laura, 23, is just a year into her graduate trainee scheme at one of the big supermarket chains. She is already responsible for 25 people and in charge of all fresh produce at one of the company’s new stores. “It’s really hard work, but incredibly rewarding, and you’re exposed to a wide range of people with different experiences and backgrounds.” And the pay? “The package here is one of the best around. I’ve had three pay raises in eight months, so the ability to earn and progress is there. ” exposed to utsatt for / utsett for range en rekke / ei rekkje package her: pakkeavtale ability mulighet/moglegheit progress utvikle seg benefits frynsegoder/frynsegode subsidised subsidierte share schemes aksjeordninger/ aksjeordningar viewpoint synsvinkel to be sneezed at her: ikke til å fnyse av / ikkje til å fnyse av VurderingseksemplarWith benefits including private health care, subsidised restaurant and gym memberships, staff discounts and share schemes, from a purely financial viewpoint, service sector jobs for graduates are

Do an online search for “British Safety Council+work hours under 16+wages”. Are there big differences compared to Norwegian rules and regulations?

Claire, 20, had work placement in a hotel, and her positive experience in the hospitality sector motivated her to work her way up through the ranks. She is now managing the conference venue at one of London’s biggest hotels. “This is a fun, exciting business to be in – l’ve always been really ambitious and I think you can have a very satisfying career in this area. This company perceives everyone as talented in one way or another, and they are very good at extracting that talent.” When she wanted to continue her studies, they paid for her course and made her feel valued.

Part-time jobs Most students who have part-time jobs work in the service sector. Opinions are divided over how smart that is. Some say it provides valuable work experience and can motivate students to stay in school to finish their studies. Others worry that working takes too much of a student’s time. In Dundee, Scotland, a study showed that many students work an astonishing number of hours, often between 20 and 25 hours a week. At the same time, the study revealed that many of the students who work that many hours failed at school. A worried headmaster of a Dundee school said: “I think the message is very clear and I would appeal to parents to be much more concerned about the hours that our younger people work part-time. The money they earn is soon spent. The benefit of their studies impacts on their opportunities for the rest of their lives”.

SOURCE Office for National Statistics. 2018. Services sector, UK: 2008 to 2018. ONS.gov.uk

ACTION 3 In groups, discuss and make a mind map of the service sector. 4 Divide a piece of paper or a Word document in two and make a pro and con key word list on working part-time while in school. 5 Imagine that ten years have passed since Vurderingseksemplar we last met Laura and Claire. In pairs, hospitality sector reiselivsbransjen interview them about their lives today. ranks gradene Take turns being Laura and Claire and a conference venue konferanselokalet journalist. ambitious ambisiøs perceives oppfatter/oppfattar Use these topics to create questions and extracting få ut answers: astonishing forbausende/forbausande present work situation, likes and dislikes of failed her: stryke i fag their job, changes in their lives, spare time appeal appellere activities, future plans, advice for young impact innvirkning/innverknad adults just starting to work