The Tourism Education and Skills Working Group met on September 12 to discuss the next steps in attempting to get an alternative qualification while looking at the difficulties associated with post-16 education.
In order to proactively shape future educational routes in the travel and tourism sector, the Group was established back in April 2023. This comes in the wake of the government’s decision to move forward with its larger education reform initiatives, which include the introduction of T-levels and the defunding of all level 3 travel and tourism programmes in England starting in September 2026.
Effective replacement training programs are necessary because there won’t be a T-level in travel and tourism, which will help ensure that younger people can reach the sector.
In order to best prepare students for further study or to start employment in the industry, the working group is looking at this. At its most recent meeting, the group agreed on a set of fundamental themes that would need to be covered by future level 3 travel and tourism credentials.
Before the year is over, a series of industry workshops will be held to gather opinions and suggestions on the themes. After that, recommendations will be given to educational institutions that are creating courses to replace those that will finish in September 2026.
As a crucial step in getting permission for new courses, participants in the workshops will also be requested to participate in activities to show the industry demand that exists for the courses. As early next year’s course curriculums are put together by educational providers, there will also be opportunities for the industry to interact directly with them.
The head of education and career development for ABTA, Vicki Wolf, stated: “This is a real opportunity for the travel and tourism industry to shape the future of level three skills training for the sector. It is fantastic to see such enthusiasm and a collaborative approach from across the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries.”
The Tourism Education and Skills Working Group held a very successful meeting last week with informed and illuminating input from a wide range of industry experts, according to Claire Steiner, director of the Institute of Travel and Tourism. We will all be reaching out to our individual memberships in the coming weeks to solicit their input for a series of workshops, and I encourage everyone in the sector to participate as your opinions and experience will be crucial in helping to develop new educational programs.
As we prepare to negotiate the changes to level 3 Travel and Tourism credentials, John Garside from Sutton Coldfield College, a division of BMet, said: “I continue to be excited and inspired by the partnership with all members of the Tourism Education and Skills Working Group. The hope is that we can continue to offer industry-recognized credentials that open doors to higher education and benefit our prospective students.
Businesses interested in participating in the workshops should get in touch with their trade association, such as ABTA, the BTA, UKHospitality, or UKinbound, or through one of the other groups affiliated with the Travel and Skills Working Group, such as ANTOR and the ITT. More information will be made available as soon as possible.
Source- Travel daily
Link- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/the-tourism-education-and-skills-working-group-new-training-options-for-young-peop