Travel and tourism students at Birmingham Metropolitan College joined their lecturer on Friday to lobby their local MP about government plans to axe Level 3 courses.
Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield, pledged to take a letter about their concerns to the education secretary Gillian Keegan after he met John Garside, lecturer in travel and tourism and aviation, and those studying for the Level 3 qualifications at BMet’s Sutton Coldfield campus.
Garside said the students talked to the MP about their course and the current Department for Education plans to eliminate funding for the qualification with no alternative replacement.
The meeting came after academics and industry figures have been urging colleagues in the sector to lobby against the plans to scrap travel and tourism qualifications for students in England aged 16 to 19.
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They warn that defunding Level 3 courses after 2025 will cut numbers choosing to study travel at university and hit the pipeline of talent for employers.
The changes are part of Department for Education (DfE) plans to streamline the post-16 Level 3 qualifications system with a focus on A levels and technical T levels.
“We showed him the coverage from the industry that this decision has been generating since Travel Weekly’s fantastic article (April 13),” said Garside.
“He has offered to take a letter from BMet principal Pat Carvalho to the education minister Gillian Keegan to explain the position and the need for the decision to be reviewed.
“I provided Mr Mitchell with his own copy of Travel Weekly and explained the impact that this would have on the future of our amazing travel industry.”
Garside thanked Mitchell for “listening and offering to present our case” and thanked the “outstanding” Level 3 students for taking part in the discussion “for education and our industry”.
He also urged industry colleagues to sign a petition created by three educational bodies which is an open letter to ministers, highlighting the importance and value of tourism, hospitality and events to the economy.
More than 820 people have now signed the petition which builds on mounting collective travel industry opposition led by Abta with other trade bodies to against the defunding of travel and tourism qualifications after 2025.
Main picture shows Andrew Mitchell MP (fifth left) with John Garside and others from BMet.
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