Travel & Tourism Regional Networks
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) has recruited regional network leads to establish, maintain and develop regional activity, which form a major part of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) 14-19 workforce support.
It has nine travel and tourism experts as regional leads - in the North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside, East of England, South East, South West and London – and regional meetings are already underway at industry-related venues and attractions.
The SSAT has co-ordinated meetings to get practitioners together to provide employer input, facilitate workshops disseminating employer information, obtain support from the DDP and demonstrate industry specific resources. All events are publicised on http://www.diploma-support.org/communities/forums, where the communities forum (both national and regional) is located and information is posted. This also provides an opportunity for on-line questions to be asked.
Employers are fully supportive of our meetings and we are particularly grateful to the following:
- Shearings Holidays Ltd who have helped us to create an industry relevant icebreaker activity for leads to use;
- Flybe, East Midlands Airport, Peel Holdings at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, ABTA - The Travel Association, and Thorpe Park, for hosting and sharing organisation information with practitioners and consortia;
- Cambridge City Centre for its presentation of a tourism/destination case study;
- Northumbria University for hosting an event and supporting on progression routes;
- Servisair for its support with industry activities and a presentation to practitioners in the North West;
- Bantock House in Wolverhampton who hosted a meeting themed around course content (interpretation, visitor attractions, attractions management and customer service) and work placement opportunities.
Agendas are now being developed for the second meetings taking place in March which are based on what practitioners have said they want and need including addressing the ‘hard to reach’ areas of the Diploma. These second meetings are linked to British Tourism Week (15-21 March 2010) and the launch of the Travel & Tourism Diploma at the Best of Britain and Ireland (BOBI). To find out about meetings in your area and to book a place, please go to: http://www.diploma-support.org/communities/networkmeeting. Judith McGrath (Diploma Line Lead for Travel & Tourism)
Below: Practitioners from the St Helens, Liverpool Central and Sefton travel and tourism consortia at Liverpool John Lennon Airport - the venue for the first North West regional diploma network meeting.
The North West regional diploma network for travel and tourism is managed by Kath Saunders second from left.
18.01.10