8th Mar 2012 - 00:00
Abstract
Leaders from across the hospitality and travel and tourism industry came together at the Royal College of Surgeons of England last week, as People 1st outlined its ambitious £9 million programme to create an inspirational skills legacy for the sector.
Over 200 delegates attended the event, which called for industry employers to work with People 1st on the delivery of the two-year programme. Made up of six key project streams, it aims to raise the skills of the sector's workforce and its profile and reputation as a professional career choice. Opening the evening, Minister for Tourism, John Penrose, stressed the fact that this is a time of great opportunity for the sector, which covers 10% of all UK jobs and will need an additional 132,000 workers every year until 2017. He encouraged businesses to take ownership of skills development and commented: "I can't over-emphasise how important it is that we raise skill levels in the industry if we are to turn these opportunities into growth. People used to look down their noses a bit at the hospitality sector, but we are now attracting envious glances from other sectors who are looking to copy some of our ideas." The six key project streams, which between them have attracted £9m of Government funding, are: Helping unemployed people into work Accelerating social mobility Professionalising the workforce Improving customer service Increasing business investment in skills Establishing the Hospitality Guild Also presenting was Whitbread's HR director, Louise Smalley, who told attendees how investing in skills development and working with People 1st has helped the organisation reduce turnover, increase customer satisfaction and develop the workforce. Sonia Kelly, HR manager for Hotel Indigo, Glasgow, spoke about how the Women 1st programme gave her the skills and confidence to move her career on to the next level, and helped her through a difficult period in her life following the tragic death of her sister. She concluded: "I will be eternally grateful to Women 1st." The presentations were followed by a dinner, where employers were given the opportunity to discuss skills challenges with members of the People 1st team, and opportunities to collaborate on delivery of the six project streams. It was an inspiring and motivational evening, which has already resulted in commitments from a number of employers to support the programme. If your organisation is interested in getting involved, please do get in touch via info@people1st.co.uk