Travel Skills & Training

Well done Flybe for sharing the paltform at today's British Chambers of Commerce skills summit. Here is their press release on the subject . . .

Flybe, Europe's largest and most successful regional airline, is honoured to have been invited to share centre stage today at the annual British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Skills Summit with Ed Balls, the Minister for Education at The Royal Opera House in London.

Such influential recognition has come just nine months after Exeter-based Flybe was named one of only three companies in the UK to achieve the high standards required to become an Awarding Body for its own approved national qualifications. It was an achievement reached in record time following Flybe being the only airline out of 153 companies to commit to and sign the Government's Skills Pledge in June 2007.  

Very interesting article on HR Zone looking at how TUI Travel managed uncertainty in their business when First Choice and Thomson merged.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

OK, this is not new but the CIPD Learning and development survey 2008 (PDF) is a useful resource for employers - its gives a good idea of the type of training employers are using, the size and shape of the UK training market and the training outlook.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

The travel skills survey revealed at the ABTA Travel Convention was heartening because employers are taking training seriously and it looks as if it won't be cut (that's what the employers say) because of the global economic crisis.

The survey included some employer case studies on training.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Holiday Extras are recruiting via Youtube. Nice way to put faces to a company and have a peek at the working environment

This from the People1st online magazine Talent. It would seem that a group of industry leaders are shaping a plan for the future of skills and education (and are prepared to look at the viability of a travel and tourism academy). TW will keep an eye on this . . ..

 [to get Talent email the People 1st marketing team]

Here is the aricle: 

Representatives of the travel and tourism industry met with People 1st last month to discuss the potential of establishing a National Skills Academy.

The meeting was attended by senior industry representatives from Hoseasons, Thomas Cook, TUI , Advantage Travel, Co-op Travel and Holiday Breaks as well as the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and the Institute of Travel and Tourism.

The aim was to identify some of the key challenges facing employers and areas where a new academy could make a real impact. Areas of importance indentified included energy prices,
eco-tourism, on-line trading, sustainability and financial modelling to withstand volatile economics.

Former BBC director general Greg Dyke was interviewed at the Advantage conference. He mainly talked about taking an organisation through change.

I'll come back to this, but here are some of the observations from the session - a mix of news and live blog posts.

• Greg Dyke tells agents to embrace change  
• A short quote about management
• Anyone can have ideas
• The importance of the backroom staff
• Capturing and using ideas

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Interesting to see this ad from Thomson and First Choice. It would seem that Tim Williamson, customer director at Thomson, has made a flying start to his new role.

The key now will be for all front line staff to match the company's desired levels of customer service.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

I know I have been posting on People 1st, but it so happens I met up with chief exec Brian Wisdom and travel and diploma lead John Humphreys at Monday's Institute of Travel and Tourism president's dinner at the Dorchester hotel in London.

Brian and I had a great chat about skills development in the travel industry. He expalined how his early focus at People 1st had been on the hospitality industry and now his foicus was on travel.

He said the government provided £50m for skills and training in travel and tourism BUT he doubted that many in the sector were aware of this. The industry has never been very good at organising itself on such industry-wide matters, so no surprises that this funding is litlle known about.

The good news is that he is working with employers, the ITT (thanks Claire Steiner - ITT's education guru - for a good chat on Monday) and others to focus the industry on using this money effectively.

Brian has penned a column to this effect which we will be publishing shortly.