Sector Qualifications Strategy - People 1st
Continued...
There are approximately 184,9001 individual hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism establishments in Great Britain, of which the majority are small and micro businesses(mainly pubs, bars, nightclubs and restaurants) employing fewer than 10 people. It is a large and growing sector currently employing nearly two million people. Across the sector there are large industry variations. The restaurant industry is the largest industry in terms of employment employing over half a million people, followed by hospitality services, pubs, bars and nightclubs and hotels. The sector has an important presence across all four home nations, and whilst there are differences in demography or the predominance of the differing industries, overall similar issues and priorities have been identified.
People1st completed their Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) for all four home nations of the United Kingdom in December 2006. In London in March 2007, Shaun Woodward MP, Minister for Tourism launched the National Skills Strategy for England, with key industry representatives and key partners. A document entitled ‘Raising the Bar’ A National Skills Strategy for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector was disseminated and the employer representatives and partners present committed themselves to supporting the aims. With funding from the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL), People1st has worked with key sector employers to take forward Project Spinnaker which has put in place a Skills Strategy for the sector in Northern Ireland.
People1st has since January 2006 been working with the Wales Tourism Alliance to ensure that the National Skills Strategy for Wales, will meet the needs of the sector, and this too has been formally launched. In Scotland the creation of a Skills Summit comprising of stakeholders, trade bodies, industry leaders and People1st has produced a Scottish Skills Strategy to tackle the workforce development issues facing the sector, although this is still to be finally ratified.
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