BRINGING PEOPLE WITH THE RIGHT SKILLS TO THE TOURISM SECTOR

I was invited by the Irish Regions Office in Brussels last year to participate in a European Commission project aimed at assisting the integration in EURES, the European job mobility portal, of dedicated sub-sectors for tourism.
This project is part of the Commissions's rolling plan of tourism actions, following the publication of its political framework for tourism in June 2010.
Ernst & Young, Bologna was the lead partner in the project, which was co-ordinated by DG Enterprise and Industry and DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.
The overall purpose was to develop a skills vocabulary relevant to tourism to facilitate a closer matching of skills/qualifications with jobs. Three emerging sub-sectors for tourism were reviewed, namely;

• Adventure Tourism (aerial, water and land adventure)
• Blue Tourism (cruise, yachting and coastal tourism) and 
• Cultural Tourism (heritage, cultural events and spiritual tourism) 

Following participation at a number of seminars and development of working documents, a final conference was held in Brussels to share the project results with institutional stakeholders including the International Labour Organisation and the OECD.
At this event, the mismatch between workers' competencies and that required by their job was a recurring theme.
As a guest speaker, I outlined the role that education and training can play in tackling skills mismatch.
It is intended that the final deliverables from the project will be included in the further development of the European Skills Passport, an electronic portfolio of an individual's skills and qualifications, which will help to match workers skills to jobs across the EU.

NEW BA DEGREE in INTERNATIONAL HOSPITALITY & TOURISM MANAGEMENT AT IT TALLAGHT

IT Tallaght announced last week that it will offer a new BA Degree in International Hospitality & Tourism Management later this year. This course will offer modules which speak to the needs of industry today and include:

• Food and drink tourism
• Procurement & spend analysis
• Facilities management
• Cultural & leisure tourism
• eBusiness & social media
• Business & event management

The development of the course was strongly influenced by a robust consultation process with key figures in the Irish hospitality & tourism sector including:

• Darina Allen, Ballymaloe House
• Francis Brennan, Park Hotel Kenmare
• Paul Carty, Guinness Storehouse
• Patrick Delaney, Ovation
• Margaret Jeffres, Good Food Ireland
• Ruth Andrews, Irish Tour Operators Association
• Michael Brennan, Hotel Europe
• Brendan Flynn, The Church
• Eamonn McKeon, Irish Tourist Industry Confederation
• Michael Rosney, Killeen House Hotel
• Louise Delahunty, Delahunty Event Management
• Sarah Maher, Prem Group
• Conor Lawler, Marketboomer

It was their recommendation that the course should:

• have a practical and applied orientation
• emphasise the concept of hospitality as a core focus
• provide students with purchasing and cost control skills and a knowledge of local authority charges and vat
• highlight the importance of sustainable and ethical business practices including buying locally and supporting communities
• help students to understand how to manage water, waste and energy resources

CAO applications indicate that there is already a high level of interest in this new degree programme. The first intake of 60 students will commence their studies in September.

HOW TO RUN A GREAT HOTEL

I recently spoke with Enda Larkin, author of a new book called 'How to Run a Great Hotel.....everything you need to achieve excellence in the hotel industry'.

I asked him about his motivation for writing such a book. Enda explained that during the Celtic Tiger, many investors assumed that hotels were as easy to run as they were to build. They were, he said, preoccupied with short-term returns, driven by the need to service debt. He added that the current crisis has provided a sharp, if painful reminder, that issues like location, viability and customer focus do still matter. Professional hoteliers he said, have had to watch in frustration, as competitors who cared little for quality seemingly did quite well. We know those days are over and Enda pointed out that inconsistent offerings, no matter how cheaply priced, will not survive in the long term.

His book is targetted at the professional hotelier and covers four key themes - direction setting, leadership, employee engagement and customer satisfaction. It also contains useful and comprehensive checklists which can be applied immediately. Thus, it is as much a practical guidebook as a general read. Students will also benefit greatly from reading it. It is my experience that good books need to be digested slowly and re-read often. This is one such book.

Enda is Director of HTC Consulting, a Geneva based firm specialising in hospitality & tourism.

BEST PLACES TO WORK IN HOSPITALITY

In the UK, Caterer & Hotelkeeper's awards for Best Places to Work in Hospitality 2009 were announced yesterday. The awards celebrate outstanding employment practices in the hospitality sector and the list includes Red Carnation Hotels Abode Hotels Michael Caines Restaurants The Peach Pub Company Q Hotels I was also delighted to see the InterContinental Hotel, Park Lane, London, receive an 'Excellence in Training' Award. Kirsten Ferguson gave me a tour of the hotel last year following its £76 million makeover. With 447 bedrooms, Theo Randall at The InterContinental and the very innovative Cookbook Café, it is a superb property.

IRELAND SHINES

In an introduction to Ireland, the Best Loved Hotels 2009 edition states that 'beautiful as Ireland is, it is the Irish people, their character and history, that leave an indelible mark on your memory'. Tourism Ireland is keen to ensure that its brand promise is delivered on. Last week, it launched a Shine campaign to remind us that we all have a role to play. A simple message that is often forgotton!