Travel companies were criticised for not supporting tourism academics and students at a conference organised by ABTA, the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) and the Tourism Society on June 1.
The Co-operative Travel was the only travel employer at the Overcoming Employment Challenges in Tourism conference for academics and employers, prompting lecturers to accuse the industry of only paying lip service to academia.
In particular, lecturers said travel companies are not always helpful when they try to set travel and tourism students up with two-week work experience placements.
Lecturer Sheralyn Coates from Richmond Upon Thames College said: “I find it very difficult to establish links with employers. I start phoning nine months in advance but no one returns my calls.”
West Herts College lecturer Stephen Pearl added: “We need support from the industry but you can see that the industry isn’t here to support us today. How important can it be to them if they can’t take a few hours out of their week?”
However, ABTA head of business development Keith Richards said ABTA and the ITT would communicate the messages from the conference back to the industry.
“We are looking at where the gaps are and how we can fill them,” Richards said. “If it is difficult to get a company to take a student for work experience for two weeks, perhaps we need to look at other options, such as them visiting once a week.”
Helen Dewhurst, associate director of FDF, an association which helps link employers and higher education providers, said: “Employers are busy and can’t take too much time away from their business. However they are working with higher education, just not necessarily in forums like this.”