THE dining rooms, reception desks and bars seem to have lost their allure. From a much sought after careers area, the hotel and catering industry seems to have lost its popularity with school leavers. In the craft area, the chef's hat alone retains its coveted status, according to CERT.

A recent survey of school leavers, commissioned by CERT, the State tourism training agency, shows that only seven per cent of school leavers are interested in a career in the tourism industry. Four per cent plan to work in the hotel and catering sectors and three per cent within tourism services and attractions. Of those interested, 27 per cent had work experience in the industry.

Norman Croke, SIPTU's hotels, restaurants and catering branch secretary, says that alarm bells started to ring last year when it became clear that the number of CAO/CAS applicants for hotel and catering courses was down. CERT reports that the number of applicants for its courses has not dropped but the acceptance rate is falling and it is becoming more difficult to fill courses.

This lack of enthusiasm for the industry is also affecting employers' ability to fill jobs. CERT commissioned three separate studies in an attempt to identify perceptions of employment, turnover and training in the hotel and catering industry. Two thirds of the employers reported recruitment difficulties, despite the fact that there are almost 300,000 unemployed people in the State.

Tourism is a relatively new and rapidly expanding business and should represent an attractive source of employment for school leavers. The first scheduled American flights landed in Ireland in the late 1950s and CERT was set up in 1963 to train people for the hotel and restaurant industry. There were 358 graduates in 1965.

Next September, CERT will have 2,220 places of which 1,300 are first year places. At present, 67 per cent of those on training courses are women, reflecting the situation in the industry in general. CERT offers craft level courses such as hospitality skill, professional cookery and bar service, as well as advanced courses in areas such as restaurant skills and accommodation service operations supervision.

Maintenance grants are available for students enrolled on CERT's full time courses. Students doing craft courses area paid an ESF grant of £16.85 per week if they live within 15 miles of the college and £41.25 per week if they live outside the 15 mile radius. Students on advanced courses are paid a CERT grant of £76.15 per week.

Mary Ena Walsh, curriculum, certification and research manager with CERT, says that of the 2,000 students placed last year, 92 per cent said that they were happy with their work experience, five per cent were happy but had some reservations and three per cent were unhappy. So, what's going wrong? Why are more school leavers not interested? Walsh says that people do not tend to think of hotel and catering - as a career but rather as a sector it is easy to find work in. The CERT studies show that hotel and restaurant managers are perceived to have high prestige jobs; waiters, canteen workers and kitchen porters are not. However, in training terms, there is a definite career path from craft, to advanced, to supervisor level, says Walsh.

"We spend a lot of taxpayers money in training these people. It is very important that there is a return on this investment. We ensure that there is a very good standard of training. The next return is that they stay in the industry. But, we aren't the employers." Croke is adamant that the problems do, indeed, lie squarely with the employers - low pay and long working hours are to blame.

There are three mechanisms for setting rates of pay within the industry, he explains. In the Dublin region, there is collective bargaining between SIPTU and IBEC, the employers' body. Outside Dublin, rates of pay are set by two Joint Labour Committees, which set rates for the hotel and catering businesses.

Under the hotels Joint Labour Committee, CERT trained cooks earn £162.79 a week, trained house assistants earn £126.57 and waiters earn £137.05 per week (without board and lodging). Rates are lower if board and lodging is included.

Croke points out that most of the craft jobs require two years full time training with CERT and a further two years on the job training to full qualification. The CERT survey shows that the average wages earned by workers in the hotel and catering industry are between £101 and £200 per week. Croke says that this is well below the average industrial wage and he describes the low rates of pay as "outrageous".

He is also concerned about the long hours worked. Fifty eight per cent of CERT graduates work more than 40.8 hours per week, the national average worked by industrial workers. Split shifts are also a problem.

Pat McCann, president of the Irish Hotels Federation, which represents employers within the industry, agrees that hotel and catering is perceived as low paying, with long hours, and exploitative, but he contends that the reality is very different. "In order to keep people we need to treat them well . . . By far the vast majority of employers are good," he claims. "Our message is very clearly that there are good jobs in the industry and lots of opportunities," he says.

So, why are more young people simply not interested in careers in the area? McCann says that teachers and guidance counsellors have a very poor perception of the industry.

"It's not their fault. That's our problem. We were not as active as we might have been in talking to these people and explaining to them how good the industry is," he adds.

He is concerned at the lack of an interview process for college places and also at CERT's recruitment policy. They have brought some people in, who fall out very quickly, he says. CERT has got to have closer ties with industry and industry's needs. "We mightn't be as close as we think we are," he says.

The number of school leavers is falling as the drop in the birth rate percolates through the education system. At the same time, the tourism industry is expected to generate 35,000 new full time jobs by the year 2000. If action is not taken, the industry is facing a jobs crisis.