Home > News > October 2005 > 14-Oct-2005

Event held to discuss skills strategy for tourism sector

Tourism Minister, James Purnell, met representatives from the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries earlier this week to discuss how to increase productivity and profitability in the £75 billion industry.

The event was a step towards the creation of a brand new Skills Strategy for the sector, which aims to address the problem of skills gaps and shortages amongst tourism workers.

It follows groundwork by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council, which carried out research and consultations across the UK.

People 1st presented its findings at the event, outlining the steps that it says need to be taken to enable the industry to attract young workers with the right skills and education.

After the meeting James Purnell said: "Any industry is only as good as its people. That's why I've made the skills agenda one of my top priorities.

"The UK tourism industry is rightly envied around the world. But we must work together to guarantee its future success and keep pace with our competitors.

"I want People 1st to use today's discussions to produce a Skills Strategy for the entire sector. This will lay the foundations for a Sector Skills Agreement; a clear guide to help industry and partners boost skills and productivity.

"Only by doing this can we drive up standards and encourage more young people to choose a career in this industry."

Brian Wisdom, CEO of People 1st said: "This is the first important step of many that will take us towards delivering a demand led education system. People 1st look forward to working closely with business, government and education over the next 12 months to define a groundbreaking strategy."

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