| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 08/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 80 |
| Copyright: Other |
Dive into industry promotion
A nationwide training and development organisation has launched a campaign to promote the travel and tourism industry as a worthwhile career. Penny Russell reports
TOUR operators and travel agents are being urged to support a national campaign to raise the profile of the travel industry as an employer.Springboard UK, which is a Government-backed organisation set up to promote hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism as a worthwhile career, is calling on travel companies to get involved in a week-long Careers Festival dedicated to the industry.
It already has the backing of Travel Weekly and is now looking for support from others in the industry to improve the perception of travel careers and help attract new recruits.
Springboard managing director Anne Walker explained: “Every week I look through Travel Weekly and I read about recruitment problems within the travel industry but nothing is being done about it.”
She said the organisation already has strong support from employers within the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors but has not been able to attract enough support from the travel industry.
“We have got the organisation and the professional skills needed to reach out to new recruits,” she said.
“We are looking for new partners to get involved and help spread the word.
“We want the travel industry to benefit from all that the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries are benefiting from.”
So, how can you get involved?
This week Springboard is launching its annual Careers Festival, a high profile week of events which will take place on October 2-8.
In the months leading up to the festival, Springboard needs the help of tour operators and travel agencies, and any other company in the travel industry, to stage events or run campaigns at a local, regional or national level to spread the word about the Careers Festival.
“Companies might want to run a ‘bring a mate to work week’, or get involved in organising a competition, anything that will tell people that the festival is taking place later in the year,” said Walker.
During last year’s festival, 1,700 events took place, from bus tours to a mad hatters’ tea party, all designed to raise the profile of the industry.
“It’s really up to the employers or organisations to decide what kind of event to hold and what kind of message they want to get across,”said Walker.
“We will provide the support through guidelines and activity books, advising them how to get the press involved or how to enroll the help of a celebrity.”
If you would like to get involved in the Careers Festival, or would like more information about Springboard, please contact Anne Walker on 020-7497 8654 or by e-mail at annew@springboarduk.org.uk.
Thinking ahead: Springboard promises a brighter future for people working in the travel industry
Factfile
What is springboard?
n Springboard was launched nationally in March 1998. The company’s aim is to raise the image and profile of the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry as an employer and also attract new talent into the industry.
n Springboard has the support of the Government and the company’s campaign was one of the 15 areas of action outlined in the Government’s White Paper on tourism.
n Springboard works with schools, colleges, employers and other related organisations to assist school leavers, the long-term unemployed and people returning to work in order to encourage them to choose travel and tourism as a career.
n Springboard offers customers a free careers advisory service.
n The company currently reaches over 750,000 people each year with positive messages about the travel industry as a future career choice.
n The company runs a Springboard UK’s Young Ambassadors Club, where existing travel industry employees are specially selected, for their enthusiasm and passion, to go out and spread the industry word to schools, college students, teachers and parents.