I wrote my editor’s comment for this week’s edition of Travel Weekly as I prepared for our second conference in the space of a fortnight – the second annual People Summit which takes place today (Thursday).
The summit was launched last year in response to the challenges facing the industry after the pandemic in relation to recruitment, retention and development of staff, and I am delighted it has become an annual fixture in association with our headline sponsor Jet2holidays and host Grant Thornton.
At the event, we will hear from a range of experts from the industry and related fields as we discuss our most important resource and the need to create a diverse and dynamic workforce for the future.
We will also look forward to the publication of our careers guide Take Off in Travel, which this year celebrates its tenth edition and will be produced with the support of headline sponsor Hays Travel and our long-term partner Abta.
One of the topics discussed will be educational routes into the industry, and I look forward to hearing speakers’ views on the outlook for Level 3 qualifications after the government confirmed plans to cut funding for existing post-16 courses in England.
As we have reported in recent weeks, the Tourism Education and Skills Working Group formed in response to the plans is now asking the industry to help it shape alternative courses, and I sincerely hope that call will get a positive response.
If we are to compete with other sectors for the brightest young talent, we need to ensure every entry route to our industry is open, appealing and fit for purpose.
- If you are unable to join us for today’s People Summit, please look out for our coverage on travelweekly.co.uk and in next week’s edition of Travel Weekly.