Hilton Worldwide has announced the creation of up to 300 work placement opportunities a year at its hotels across the UK.

Over one to two weeks, school pupils aged 14 to 18 years old will get a realistic view of work at Hilton's hotels and the routes into the industry through structured work experience activities.

A recent white paper by Hilton and the International Youth Foundation Creating Opportunities for Youth in Hospitality revealed the global hospitality sector is uniquely positioned to provide solutions to youth joblessness.

The sector is expected to generate 73 million new jobs by 2022, providing potential opportunities for the more than one in five young people who are out of work.

Hilton's vice president for HR in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ben Bengougam, said: "Today, youth unemployment is one of the greatest challenges facing our labour market, and only by adopting an holistic approach can we hope to effectively tackle its corrosive effects.

"As well as structured programmes for young people, it is vital that we encourage greater engagement between businesses and young people through the provision of careers information."