The Last Word - All Change
We have now had time to muse on the enormity of political upheaval. Britain has a coalition government, almost unprecedented in peacetime, and an education and training policy that results from two very different manifestos and political horse-trading.
The new government will base decisions on the overriding need to address the budget deficit, the challenge of getting Britain back to work and the need to satisfy the manifesto commitments of each party, as outlined in its ‘Programme for Government'.
The future of the 'Train to Gain' programme is unclear - but, in this world of austerity, there are great opportunities for skills development and employment in hospitality, leisure and tourism.
Apprenticeships provide a major opportunity for employers to access funding for workbased learning. Our sector is already one of the biggest trainers of apprentices - there are currently 18,000 people on an apprenticeship programme.
To tackle increasing complexities introduced by the previous government, the Conservative manifesto included a £2,000 incentive for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to take on an apprentice. We will see whether this remains an affordable option, but research has shown that apprenticeship programmes do have positive returns on investment.
Colleges will have more freedom to respond to local needs, provided that they continue to offer quality-assured programmes, like the Professional Cookery Diploma, in increased volumes. This could provide an opportunity to drive up the number of short-course customer service programmes, like those provided by the National Skills Academy for Hospitality, that are essential in transforming our sector's reputation for customer service.
The coalition has also committed to engage business directly in getting the million unemployed young people back to work. Before the election, People 1st brokered an agreement between the Conservatives and 20 leading hospitality and tourism businesses to train 50,000 young people over two years. This initiative is a first, and puts the sector in a cutting-edge position.
The new political dawn provides a real opportunity for the sector to polish up its reputation and be taken seriously by government and newcomers to the industry – especially with a ‘golden decade of sporting events' approaching. We are now recognised as investing more in training per worker than any other business sector, and the new political environment will be one where responsibility for investment will fall more to business as state resources are refocused.
This is a chance to establish ourselves as a powerhouse of British industry - not only in fact, but particularly in the minds of those we rely on as our customers and workforce.
The Editor
