Leading travel and tourism employers and People 1st have come together to bid for £2 million government funding to create the first National Skills Academy for Travel and Tourism.
The bid follows overwhelming industry support for a dedicated body to benchmark excellence in training and qualifications in the sector.
Those bidding with People 1st for the government funds include Hoseasons Holidays, TUI UK, Thomas Cook, Co-operative Travel Group, Advantage Travel, ABTA The Travel Association, and The Institute of Travel and Tourism.
Chief executive officer of Hoseasons Holidays, Richard Carrick said, ‘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.’
Brian Wisdom, chief executive of People 1st
added, ‘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.
‘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 National Skills Academy for Travel and Tourism 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.
People 1st also announced it will be launching the new Diploma in Travel and Tourism at this year’s British Tourism Week.
The Diploma will be delivered in schools and colleges across England from September 2010. It has been developed by People 1st and GoSkills with input from leading employers and trade bodies, including Advantage Travel Centres, Merlin Entertainments, TUI, The Co-operative Travel, Shearings Holidays, Thomas Cook, ABTA, The Travel Association and the Institute of Travel and Tourism.
The qualification covers travel and tourism services, passenger transport, visitor attractions, conferences and events, and accommodation services. Students will also be able to pick additional specialised learning modules, such as sustainable tourism development, customer service, business travel etc.