Education experts optimistic sector can create new qualifications

Travel and tourism education experts are optimistic the sector can create new courses for students aged 16-19 – and called on the industry to back their efforts to better tailor content to employers’ needs.

Members of the Tourism Education and Skills Working Group – set up in response to government plans to axe Level 3 travel and tourism courses – hope that meetings with the Department for Education and trade input will help develop post-16 courses that are more inclusive and better prepare students for the workplace.

John Garside, Birmingham Metropolitan College lecturer and member of the group, told Travel Weekly’s People Summit that his college will meet Department for Education representatives this week to discuss plans for the new courses.

“My goal…is that we come up with a qualification that we can market to 16-year-olds as being a fantastic industry,” he said.

“I’m hoping the work that we do, and the qualification we come out with, will be industry recognised.”

Vicki Wolf, Abta’s head of education and career development, highlighted the collaborative nature of the group, which features trade bodies such as the Institute of Travel & Tourism, plus colleges and universities, working together to improve the post-16 offering.

“There’s a real opportunity for us to get this right now,” she told the summit.

The fact that there will be no T Level in travel and tourism – because it is a broad topic rather than a specific subject – might be “an advantage”, she added.

She highlighted how T Levels require students to have 45 days of work experience, which could exclude young people who may not live near such an employer or afford that option.

“We want to demonstrate to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education when we go through this process that we have industry support,” she added.

Claire Steiner, co-founder, Future You Foundation, said: “We need to show the government that we are engaged and this is important to us.

“Travel and tourism continues to be one of the biggest growth areas in terms of interest from young people.

“It’s critical we make sure that we are offering different routes into our industry.

“This is our opportunity to really input and create courses that are, and will be, fit for purpose.”

Dr Peter Robinson, head of the centre for tourism & hospitality management, Leeds Beckett University, said any new Level 3 course needs to cover a wide range of business skills such as marketing, human resources, sustainability and finance, which degrees can build upon.

He urged delegates to attend a conference on October 18 at the University of West London, which will debate further and higher education challenges.

Dr Robinson also highlighted the importance of working with the trade, pointing to his university’s partnership with Jet2, which offers internships and other student opportunities.

Garside said BMet has partnerships with Midcounties Coop and hotels, and Wolf said Abta has 15 education partners who help the association’s members understand what the institutions offer. Steiner said the Future You Foundation works with about 50 different colleges and universities.

Garside also noted the post-16 landscape could change again following the government’s plan to scrap A and T levels – but said that is “a long way down the track”.