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INTRODUCTION
The Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee's report, Growing Pains - can we achieve a 50% growth in tourist revenue by 2015? Published on 10 July 2008, the report raised concerns about the quantity and quality of education, training and skills for the hospitality and tourism sector.
Relevant Recommendations
The Committee recommended that -
"the Tourism Minister works alongside his Government colleagues and key agencies to de-clutter and rationalise the provision of education, skills and training in the sector and reprioritise the resources towards a system that is demand-led, enjoys the support of the industry and which offers a smaller number of industry-approved and government-certified courses delivered by a limited number of centres with a geographic spread."
The Scottish Government responded that this required further investigation and responded that -
"While it is not the role of the Scottish Government to decide which qualifications or courses should be provided by colleges, universities and private training providers, we do believe there is a need for further consideration of the Committee's concerns about the volume and relevance of provision. The Scottish Government will convene a meeting of People 1 st, the Scottish Tourism Forum, the Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Scottish Enterprise to take this discussion forward."
The Committee further recommended -
"that part of this rationalisation should include a move towards the establishment of a small number of hotel schools along the lines of the high-quality models used in Austria and Switzerland. Emphasis on craft and technical skills is critical. Some degree of public support and funding will be necessary to establish these but they must be led by the private sector."
The Scottish Government agreed with this in principle and responded that -
"The Government is pleased that the tourism industry is taking the lead in discussions around proposals for an industry led and funded hotel school. Officials are engaged with those in the industry who are developing this proposal to explore how hotel schools could add value to existing provision for the industry."
The Committee also recommended -
"that the Scottish Government reconsiders the provision of adult modern apprenticeships in tourism and agrees to revisit the issue of funding if indications of a greater demand are apparent."
Task Group
As part of its response to the Committee's report, and in line with the Committee's recommendations, the Scottish Government formed a short-life Tourism Education and Training Task Group to investigate the Committee's concerns, establish the extent of the problem and recommend a way forward. The group was led by the Government and membership was drawn from industry, training providers, public sector bodies and the Scottish Government (see Annex A for Task Group members).
The remit set by Scottish Ministers for the group was to -
- Identify what hospitality and tourism qualifications are available in Scotland, and advise Scottish Ministers on how relevant, responsive and flexible they are.
- Establish how many and what type of hotel school developments are currently in development or under consideration in Scotland and advise on how these can support the needs of the industry.
- Summarise, for the industry, the roles of the respective public bodies in relation to qualifications development, validation and funding.
Findings
The Task Group found that this remit stimulated broader discussion of the issues around skills development for the sector and the conclusions in this report reflect that breadth. It concluded that the key players are in place and that significant public funding exists for skills development. There is now a need to work together, with industry firmly in the driving seat, to develop and deliver the skills the industry needs to grow and prosper.
To achieve the 50% growth in revenue targeted for 2015 visitor expectations need to be surpassed if Scotland is to make the real step change required to reach this goal. An inspired, motivated and skilled workforce is essential to this and there is evidence that the potential is there, ready to be nurtured, grown and retained by the industry. The Task Group concentrated its efforts on considering post-school education and skills provision. However, it acknowledged that the aims of Curriculum for Excellence to develop young people who are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens would be critical in developing the skills of the future workforce.
While the industry recognises that people are its key asset, this is not always translated into the provision of suitably trained and motivated people to deliver the quality and service that visitors expect. The Task Group believes that business leadership and management skills are fundamental to the success of any industry strategy to grow market-driven investment and for developing and managing the quality of the visitor experience. The specific skills of business leaders and managers need to reflect the nature of the industry as it is today and is likely to develop in the coming years.
Alongside a volatile world economy, the industry is challenged with rising customer expectations, increasing international competition, changing demographics and technology impacting on how business is won. A high premium is placed on the ability of businesses to read and respond quickly to changes in this marketplace and on the ability to work cooperatively to deliver the joined up and consistent quality experience that visitors are seeking.
The Task Group agrees that addressing the skills needs of the industry should not be regarded as a standalone issue but as an integral part of an industry strategy. A coherent industry lead must clearly articulate demands and provide a framework of engagement at national and local level that will cultivate and endorse good practice in workforce planning and development. The supply side, both public and private, needs to respond to these demands in as coherent a way as possible.
The organisations represented on the Task Group stressed their commitment to a continuing collaboration between the public and private sectors and agreed that this was necessary to achieve the conclusions they reached.
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