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11 October 2005
Tourism Leaders Tackle Industry Skills Gap
Tourism leaders today pledged to ensure the UK tourism industry has the skilled workforce needed to maintain its place at the heart of the country's economy.
Tourism Minister, James Purnell, met representatives from the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries and discussed how to increase productivity and profitability in the £75 billion industry.
The industry spends £886 million a year dealing with high staff turnover and retention problems. By 2012, when London will host the Olympic Games, the cost will be £6.2 billion.
The event was a step towards the creation of a brand new Skills Strategy, which will address the problem of skills gaps and shortages amongst tourism workers.
It follows groundwork by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council, which carried out extensive research and consultations covering all four UK nations.
It presented its findings - entitled Skills Needs Analysis - to Government and industry leaders today, outlining what steps 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."
Notes to Editors
1. The tourism industry is worth over £75 billion a year and employs more than 2 million people.
2. People 1st will aim to publish the Skills Strategy by mid December.
DCMS press enquiries: 020 7211 6269
Out of hours pager no: 07699 751153
Public enquiries: 020 7211 6200
People 1st press enquiries: 020 8256 1360
Research enquiries: 0870 060 2558
Website: http://www.people1st.co.uk
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