JOBCENTRE staff are to discover what life is like at the sharp end.

They are to spend a day in local hotels finding out about the jobs on offer there.

Eight JobCentre Plus staff from Bolton and Bury are to see for themselves what the work entails in establishments such as the De Vere Whites at the Reebok Stadium, the Bolton Moat house and the Ramada Jarvis at Blackrod.

The initiative -- part of National Careers Festival Week -- aims to tackle recruitment problems in the industry.

Sara Pugh, Business Manager at the JobCentre in Great Moor Street, is looking forward to her trip to De Vere Whites.

"I will get a general overview which will include reception, kitchens and housekeeping," she said.

"I have never worked in a hotel before and it will be interesting.

"It is so we can understand more about the hotel industry, report back to our colleagues and be able to encourage clients to go into this kind of work."

Joanne Alcock, Human Resources Manager at De Vere Whites, welcomed Sara's visit and said: "There is definitely a shortfall in skilled, experienced staff who have worked in hotels before.

"We are having to bring people in who do not have the relevant experience and train them up."

She said the main shortages involved bedroom "housekeepers" and waiters and waitresses.

ESSENTIAL PRACTICE: Sara Pugh gets in some practice for her stint at the De Vere Whites hotel