 |
||
| The Monthly Update From People 1st Working to transform skills in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism |
||
|
Featured in this month's issue: Apprenticeship Week Highlights Benefits for Employers Free Customer Service Training in London Skills and Training Advice for Hospitality Businesses at Hotelympia Industry Must Unite For WorldSkills 2011 Wessex Salon To Find Team UK For 2011 College Restaurants To Reach For The Stars The Last Word - Inspiring Young People Through Work Experience |
||
|
Have your say... Don't forget, we really want your feedback and can't wait to hear your views. Make your opinions heard by getting in touch now. t: 01895 817000 |
||
| Apprenticeship Week Highlights Benefits For Employers | ||
|
Apprenticeship Week 2010 kicks off on 1 February and People 1st will be highlighting the benefits of Apprenticeships in hospitality and travel and tourism. The event, which is organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), will celebrate the talents and skills of apprentices. It will see apprentices, employers, providers and all those involved with Apprenticeships come together to celebrate the value of the programme. The week‘s themes focus on how businesses can gain a competitive advantage by employing apprentices and running ‘back to the floor’ activities, where employers experience ‘a day in the life of an apprentice’ in their sector. People 1st will also be catching up with apprentices who shared their stories for last year’s Apprenticeship Week, to see how the programme has helped them to develop over the past year. People 1st’s chief executive, Brian Wisdom, commented: “The hospitality and travel and tourism sector is one of the fastest growing in terms of people taking up Apprenticeships, and is one of the best areas to come to for Apprenticeship opportunities. “It would be great to hear more really strong success stories, so we can spread the word to those that are looking for a career, but perhaps had not considered one of our industries. “I cannot stress enough why employers need to get involved in offering Apprenticeships. They not only offer business benefits, but the value that they add in developing our future workforce is vital.” Recent research by People 1st found that strong relationships between businesses and learning providers are key to increasing the number of people completing Apprenticeships in hospitality and travel and tourism, and People 1st will be looking at how apprentices can benefit the bottom line throughout Apprenticeship Week. People 1st is currently conducting a review of Apprenticeships in the sector, so that the new programmes will provide a means for new or existing staff to develop their skills and work in a profession as well as a clear, but credible, alternative to full-time education for those that want to go straight into employment.
The new Apprenticeship frameworks are due to be introduced in August 2010.
More information on Apprenticeship Week 2010 is available on the People 1st website at people1st.co.uk/apprenticeshipweek and apprenticeships.org.uk |
||
| Free Customer Service Training in London | ||
|
Hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses in London can benefit from free customer service training for their staff through sector skills council, People 1st. Businesses within the M25 are eligible to apply for the fully funded training courses, which will take place between January and March 2010 in London. The two courses – a level 2 award, aimed at frontline staff, and a level 3 award for line managers – have been developed on the back of in-depth research by People 1st, and participants will gain a nationally recognised qualification on completion. The qualifications highlight the importance of providing excellent customer service and focus on the impact of individual actions and how to identify and meet customers’ needs. The Level 2 qualification is delivered in one day, while the level 3 qualification takes two days. Both awards can complement in-house training. People 1st’s sector compact manager, Chris Jefferies, commented: “People 1st’s research has found that hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses view customer service as one of the main skills shortage areas for their staff. This is a great opportunity for London businesses to provide their employees with quality training in this area at no cost to them.
“These are the only approved customer service qualifications for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector, and they have been specifically developed for these industries.“
Employers who are interested in taking up this unique opportunity to develop the skills of their staff should contact Chris Jefferies on 07990 614717, or email chris.jefferies@people1st.co.uk |
||
| Skills and Training Advice For Hospitality Businesses at Hotelympia | ||
|
A host of services and support enabling hospitality businesses to gear up for recovery will be showcased by People 1st at this year’s Hotelympia from 28 February to 4 March. Skills and training specialists will be on hand to advise hospitality businesses on how they can reassess their existing skills base, ensure their staff do more to retain existing customers, and generate new business. Businesses can book consultancy appointments with People 1st’s experts beforehand or at the event. Consultants will go through various options, including a reassessment of the business’ skills needs and potential solutions, including industry specific training services.. Businesses can also receive a demonstration of uksp.co.uk, the unique website bringing together information on careers, jobs, employers, colleges, qualifications and funding for the hospitality industry. Employers will be able to view a demonstration of the site, including an innovative career map that details specific job profiles and progression routes within the hospitality industry, and learn how they can post job vacancies for the site’s 45,000+ users. They will also see how they can create a company profile showcasing their commitment to training and development of their staff, and sign up to the Good Employer club to receive updates on funded training opportunities, industry events and networking opportunities. In addition, businesses will be able to find out how they can get involved in the Diploma in Hospitality qualification, launched last September in schools across England. Diploma students have been benefiting from business input, including masterclasses, access to kitchens, and sampling different roles within organisations through work experience.
The Diploma provides an excellent opportunity for industry to showcase the range of opportunities within the sector. Information on how businesses can be more proactive in developing students and tap into these rising stars will be available on the stand.
Hotelympia 2010 takes place from 28 February – 4 March at the ExCel Centre in London. More details are available at hotelympia.com |
||
| Industry Must Unite For WorldSkills 2011 | ||
|
Chef Adam Smith has made a plea for more financial support from industry as London gears up to host WorldSkills, the biennial competition that promotes excellence and showcases skills, in 2011. He said: “Competing at last year's WorldSkills competition was an amazing experience. It has not only allowed me to prove my skill on an international stage, but I have also been able to share with my colleagues best practice learnt from my time training with the leading practitioners in my profession. "None of it would have been possible without the support of businesses and industry figures.” Last year’s competition in Calgary saw Team UK bring home a record medal haul, with Adam’s fellow hospitality contestants Katie Watson and Alistair Birt winning a bronze medal and medallion of excellence respectively. But despite this success, the competition’s profile in the hospitality industry remains below the water line, and People 1st chief executive Brian Wisdom has warned that it may be missing a massive opportunity to inspire young people to invest in vocational skills, and to promote the sector in the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
He said: “WorldSkills is inspirational and we can transform the image of our industry in 2011. There are so many fantastic initiatives now in place - Diplomas in schools, Adopt-a-school, Junior Chefs’ Academy, Futurechef, College Restaurant of the Year - that could be united to maximise the benefits for WorldSkills.
“We need industry sponsorship and funding to provide a framework and motivation that could leave a legacy for years to come. Surely we can do this together?” If you are interested in supporting WorldSkills 2011, please email brian.wisdom@people1st.co.uk. Alternatively, you can find out more about the competition at worldskills.org |
||
| Wessex Salon to Find Team UK For 2011 | ||
|
Ambitious chefs and restaurant service professionals have until 9 March to enter a competition giving them the opportunity to be chosen for Team UK at next year’s WorldSkills. The Wessex Salon Culinaire will be staged at the Hotel and Catering Show in Bournemouth on 16 and 17 March, and will include the WorldSkills UK cooking, confectioner/ pastry chef and restaurant services competitions. Those wishing to enter the WorldSkills competitions will be required to compete in three out of five classes in the relevant disciplines. Winners from these three prestigious competitions may be selected to represent the UK at WorldSkills 2011 - the largest skills event in the world - which will be held in London. The Wessex Salon Culinaire has provided a platform for new chefs to showcase their talents and well-known past competitors include the current KNORR National Chef of the Year, Simon Hulstone. Simon is now chef/patron of the Michelin-starred Elephant in Torquay and is set to represent the UK at the 50th International Escoffier Challenge next year. As a past Wessex Salon Culinaire competitor, Simon now encourages his own team of young chefs to enter in order to be recognised on a wider scale and highlight the excellent work that they are doing. He says: “As a seasoned competitor and employer of young chefs, the Wessex Salon Culinaire is ideal for my team to become acquainted with competition experience. The classes represent skills and classical knowledge and also hand a real test to anyone - from Michelin-standard to first year student.
"The Wessex Salon Culinaire is a great Salon to break into the competition scene.”
For details on the Wessex Salon Culinaire, please contact Deborah Jones on 01425 485048 or book online at hotel-expo.co.uk/wsc |
||
| College Restaurants to Reach For the Stars | ||
|
People 1st welcomes a new initiative that aims to highlight best practice in hospitality education by giving college restaurants an AA star rating. The Hospitality Stars initiative is due to be launched nationally in the New Year, after being developed and piloted over the past year by the AA with the Lakes Hotel School. Hospitality Stars gives colleges the opportunity to show their commitment to achieving industry standards in their public restaurants, as well as grading their performance against internationally recognised AA benchmarks. Hospitality departments will be given the chance to display their current star rating after a thorough inspection by one of the AA hotel and restaurant inspectors. People 1st’s research and policy director, Martin-Christian Kent, believes that the initiative will highlight best practice in colleges that provide realistic working environments for their hospitality students. He said: “College restaurants are an important shop window for the work of hospitality departments in higher and further education. Recent research conducted by People 1st has shown that those departments with vibrant, innovative facilities that mirror the changing nature of the sector are more likely to have the backing of college senior managers, as well as support from local employers. “We welcome this initiative as it will recognise some of the fantastic restaurants operating across the college network" His view is supported by Philippe Rossiter, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality, who commented: “Training restaurants will now be able to measure themselves against the same criteria faced by the best of the industry, through an evaluation conducted by the knowledgeable and well-respected experts at the AA. “Not only will this shine a light on the high standards achieved in many colleges, but it will also enhance the learning environment considerably, with students and their lecturers now able to benchmark their operation against those found elsewhere in the industry.” |
||
| The Last Word | ||
|
As this year’s Apprenticeship Week kicks off (1-5 February), thoughts once again turn to the different routes that young people can take into the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector, and the value of practical experience in the workplace. One initiative that aims to bridge the gap between industry and the classroom is the “Turning Work Experience into Work Inspiration” campaign. Launched by Business in the Community (BITC), it hopes to drive a national business-led movement, with a goal to improve work experience for the 500,000 students entering placements in June 2010. This concept is one that is very relevant to the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector, which relies heavily on “people skills” that often cannot be taught in the classroom, and is often viewed by young people as a job rather than a career. People 1st’s chairman, and senior vice president and chief people officer for McDonald’s, David Fairhurst, is passionate about providing a valuable learning experience for young people. He says: "It is vital that these young people get real value from what is often their first experience of the workplace. As the sector prepares for recovery and gears up for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics it is imperative that its thousands of young, customer-facing employees have the skills and passion necessary to create an excellent visitor experience, boosting the UK’s reputation across the global visitor economy.
Offering valuable work experience placements that give a real insight into the world of work now could prove extremely valuable in motivating young people to choose a career in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, with a real understanding of what that career entails.
Businesses can join the “Turning Work Experience into Work Inspiration” campaign, and get more information on creating more engaging and effective work experience for young people, at workinspiration.com |
||
 |
||