29 January 2010

Travel industry bids for Ã&#pound;2m training funding

A bid has been made for more than £2 million of government funding to create the first National Skills Academy for Travel and Tourism^.

People 1^st is fronting the bid in partnership with leading travel companies and organisations such as Hoseasons, TUI UK, Thomas Cook, Co-operative Travel Group, Advantage Travel, ABTA, and the Institute of Travel and Tourism.

This follows overwhelming industry support for a dedicated body to benchmark excellence in training and qualifications in the sector.

This would enable employers to tap into a steady supply of talented entrants with the skills, knowledge and work readiness required.

If successful, the initial expression of interest, which was submitted to government this week, will lead to funding for the development of a long term business plan and strategy.

The new Academy will address current skills gaps and develop cutting edge training programmes in areas where none exist such as sustainable tourism, low carbon operations and digital marketing.

People 1^st chief executive Brian Wisdom said: "These areas are increasingly important to business profitability and wider economic and environmental needs, yet these skills are in short supply within the industry.

"The sector is moving at an extremely fast pace so it’s critical that the workforce and those delivering training are up-to-date with industry trends and employers’ changing requirements."

If the bid is successful, the new Academy will:

Simplify the education and training system for employers;
Work with best practice colleges, learning providers and universities to develop training solutions for employers;
Increase the number of apprenticeships in travel and tourism particularly among small and micro businesses;
Provide a tailored pre-employment training package to retrain people from other industries who have been made redundant;
Work with leading employers to develop cutting edge learning programmes from entry level through to management and leadership;
Develop regional centres of excellence to share best practice and raise standards;
Provide a continuing professional development programme for staff working in the sector and for tutors and teachers delivering travel and tourism programmes;
Provide interactive careers guidance and advice through a dedicated website on careers information, progression routes, work experience opportunities and more via www.uksp.co.uk

Hoseasons CEO Richard Carrick, who chaired the shadow board for the bid, said: "The sector needs to build its capacity and capability and become a cornerstone for growth and stability in the next ten years and beyond.

"The new Academy will deliver talent for travel employers - showcasing the very best, and raising the bar by delivering world class training.

"Greater competition for a diminishing young workforce has made life more difficult for our employers and an Academy will give us the opportunity to compete with other sectors of UK Plc."

by Phil Davies

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Your Comments (3)

Better training, better workforce

Let's hope this bid will signal a more unified approach to training in the industry. It can only be a good thing if employers and training providers agree common standards under the auspices of People First. Wishing the bid every success

By Gary Grieve, Monday, February 1, 2010
Academy and the tourism strategy for England

VisitEngland welcome the drive to establish the Travel and Tourism academy. The imminent tourism strategy for England recognises that a professional, skilled workforce is crucial to help England deliver its potential. We look forward to working with all our partners to achieve this end

By Jeremy Brinkworth, Monday, February 1, 2010
Perfect partners

People 1st are the perfect partners for the travel industry as they are heading up the new Travel and Tourism Diploma due to be launched in 2010. Industry training has been fragmented for many years and I personally welcome the news that key industry associations such as ITT and ABTA as well as large travel corporations are all working together for the benefit of the industry. People 1st is a very large government serving 'not for profit' organisation that has the industry's best interests at heart. Good luck with the bid!

By Julia Feuell, Friday, January 29, 2010