Spotlight on Tourism & Hospitality

Transcription

1 Spotlight on Tourism & Hospitality So what s involved? Working as the manager of the Celtic Manor! Running your own award winning restaurant! Working at attractions like Oakwood or the Welsh Mountain Zoo! Being a Travel Consultant! These are just some of the opportunities that are available in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry. It s a vital sector for the Welsh economy and offers jobs at all levels. Remember that the word Staycation has become a new word in the English dictionary. Hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism is the third largest sector for workforce size. It employs 2.1 million people across the UK, accounting for 7.2% of the total working population, one in every fourteen jobs. (Source: Sector Skills Council) Hospitality industries dominate the sector, representing 89% of the sector s workforce with the restaurant industry remaining the largest area of work with the biggest growth. The hospitality sector has also seen an increase in self catering accommodation, holiday parks and youth hostels as people opt for greener and cheaper holidays Another sector which as grown due to increased online business is the gambling industry. Tourism is a huge industry in the UK. In 2009 alone, the economy earned 16.48bn from spending by visitors from abroad. The UK s rich and interesting history and landscape attracts millions of visitors from all over the world each year There are around 10,500 hospitality, leisure and travel and tourism businesses throughout Wales. Many of the major UK and international companies are found around Cardiff and the M4 corridor with Wales being dominated by independent operators. 83% of the sector s businesses in Wales employ fewer than 10 people (Source: Sector Skills Council) Whilst the sector has generally fared well, high labour turnover, over-reliance on transient or temporary workers, and stubbornly high skills gap, continue to hold back businesses. Finding enough high calibre, capable staff to fill skilled roles remains, by far, one of the biggest challenges as the sector continues to grow. The sector continues to be dominated by small businesses with almost half these businesses employing fewer than five people. However, nearly half the workforce is employed in larger businesses with over 100 staff. According to the Labour Force Survey 2010, Office for National Statistics, the sector employs a workforce of 104,700 in Wales accounting for 5% of the total UK workforce. A report produced by the British Hospitality Association believes that with government support, the sector could create nearly 425,000 additional jobs in the UK by the year What does the future hold? The State of the Nation 2011 Sector Skills Council Report hi-lights the following trends: Springboard The 2012 Olympic Games is expected to provide an enormous revenue generating potential for the sector, not only for businesses in the run-up to, and during, the Games, but long-term, as the Games showcase the UK as a tourism destination. An additional 14,700 jobs including 2,200 managerial jobs will be created in Wales by 2017, rising to 54,800 if replacement demand is also taken into account. The travel industry is known for bigger companies joining together. Since 2007, 4 have become 2 with Thomas Cook and Thomson TUI left. Both are German-owned, but their management structure is based in the UK. Did you know? Hospitality and tourism is the UKs fastest growing job creator Tourists and visitors spend over 10 million a day in Wales Total annual tourism demand is about 4.2 billion; 78,000 jobs in Wales are supported by tourism The top ten most popular subjects for foundation degree qualifiers includes hospitality, leisure, tourism and transport at 3.8%. Tip Contact hospitality and travel and tourism employers in your area, to ask about opportunities. People First UKSP GoSkills Useful links British Hospitality Association Spotlight on Tourism & Hospitality 1

2 The introduction of the Professional Cookery Diplomas taught in half of the UK s colleges is now producing chefs with the skills and knowledge required by the industry. Over time, this should see a decrease in the proportion of chefs with poor technical skills. Recent changes to UK immigration policy are expected to have a severe impact on thousands of ethnic restaurant businesses that have traditionally relied on recruiting skilled chefs from outside the EU. More recruitment of older workers, women returners and career changers will probably be needed as the number of young people and migrant workers in the population decline. What jobs could I do? Find out more For more information and advice about working in the Travel/Hospitality Industry: Talk to your Careers Adviser Use your school or college library Use your local Careers Centre library Ring Jobs in Tourism and Hospitality are varied and range from elementary (or basic) to more specialist professional and managerial roles. Some of the jobs you could consider are: Jobs in Tourism Travel Agent Tour Operator Travel and Tour Guide Tourist Information Assistant Courier Tour Tourism Officer Holiday Rep Jobs in Hospitality Chef/Cook Kitchen/catering assistant Counter Staff Front of house Waiter/ food service assistant Fast Food Worker Jobs in pubs, bars and clubs Publican Bar staff Chef/Kitchen staff Promotions and event manager Jobs in hotels and accommodation Receptionist Porter Housekeeper Room Attendant Concierge Restaurant and Bar work Chef/Kitchen work Promotions and event management Administration Do you know what these jobs involve? Click on them to see, or you might miss out on a job you d really like! Where could I work? Transport - ferries, aircraft, trains, coaches, motorway services, airports and car-hire companies; Accommodation - hotels, guesthouses, youth hostels, caravan sites, self-catering accommodation, campsites, holiday centres and on cruise ships; Food and drink - restaurants, pubs, wine bars, cafés, snack bars, fast-food outlets, nightclubs or catering in hospitals, schools, factories, offices and even the Armed Forces; Recreation and entertainment - zoos and wildlife parks, historic houses, gambling establishments, sports and leisure facilities, theme parks, museums and art galleries and other kinds of visitor attractions or entertainment venues; Information tourist information centre and tourist boards e.g. Visit Britain, Visit Wales Conference and exhibition organisation. Remember that this sector has lots of opportunities for setting up your own business. It s dominated by smaller businesses with many employing fewer than 5 people and with a further 24% being owned and run by one person. (Source: State of the Nation 2011 Sector Skills Council) The State of the Nation 2011 Sector Skills Council Report hi-lights the following trends: The 2012 Olympic Games is expected to provide an enormous revenue generating potential for the sector, not only for businesses in the run-up to, and during, the Games, but long-term, as the Games showcase the UK as a tourism destination. 2 Spotlight on Tourism & Hospitality

3 An additional 14,700 jobs including 2,200 managerial jobs will be created in Wales by 2017, rising to 54,800 if replacement demand is also taken into account. The travel industry is known for bigger companies joining together. Since 2007, 4 have become 2 with Thomas Cook and Thomson TUI left. Both are German-owned, but their management structure is based in the UK. The introduction of the Professional Cookery Diplomas taught in half of the UK s colleges is now producing chefs with the skills and knowledge required by the industry. Over time, this should see a decrease in the proportion of chefs with poor technical skills. Recent changes to UK immigration policy are expected to have a severe impact on thousands of ethnic restaurant businesses that have traditionally relied on recruiting skilled chefs from outside the EU. More recruitment of older workers, women returners and career changers will probably be needed as the number of young people and migrant workers in the population decline. What skills do I need? The work ranges from jobs for people leaving school with a few GCSEs or equivalent qualifications to careers for graduates on management training schemes. If you re working with the public, the following skills are important: good people skills appreciation of the importance of customer service; asmart appearance; polite and helpful manner; a high degree of personal hygiene especially in hosptitality and catering; willing to take on new responsibilities; the ability to work under pressure. Travel sales consultants need to: be confident and outgoing; have a good telephone manner; have good ICT skills; be able to work quickly and accurately; show an interest in travel, people and other countries. In addition to the above skills, managers in the Tourism and Hosptiality sector need: a focus on meeting customer needs. knowledge of business functions e.g. finance, human resources and marketing analytical, critical and problem-solving skills; ICT skills to collate, analyse and present information in spreadsheets and databases; written communication skills; negotiation and teamwork skills; leadership and delegation skills. (Source: British Hospitality Association) Having Welsh language skills can also be of benefit in this sector especially in those jobs which involve working with the public. Skills in demand The biggest skills gaps cited by employers in this sector in Wales are around management and leadership, sales and customer service, team working, problem solving and communication. There is also currently a gap in job-specific skills (mainly chef skills). 17% of businesses report having vacancies, 22 % of which are hard-to-fill with 66% of these vacancies being hard-to-fill because applicants lack the skills needed. (Source :State of the Nation 2011 Sector Skills Council) Spotlight on Tourism & Hospitality 3

4 A staggering 39% of employers with skills gaps report that these are related to leadership and management a big increase of 13% from 26% in (Source: State of the Nation 2011 Sector Skills Council) The occupations least likely to have expertise are sales and customer service staff and those in operational, front-facing roles. This includes waiting staff, bar staff, kitchen and catering assistants and receptionists. This is probably due to these roles being filled by temporary workers who therefore don t build up the expertise. What can I earn? Salaries can vary depending on the size and type of the company, and the amount of responsibility involved. Sometimes, packages can include profit-related pay, accommodation, meals, uniform, pension schemes or health insurance. Here are some examples for you: Junior travel sales consultants may start at around 12,000, rising to 16,000+ with experience. Travel agency managers can earn 35,000+. Holiday Reps earn between 400/ 500 per month plus commission for selling excursions. In hospitality, some jobs starting pay may be around the National Minimum Wage, but there are good chances of promotion, a better salary and possibly additional perks e.g. tips. Hotel management trainee- from 13,000 to 19,000. Roles with more responsibility - 16,000 to 22,000. Senior manager salaries range from 25,000 to 100,000+ for general managers of large, internationally recognized hotels. The average gross full-time annual earnings 2010: Restaurant and catering manager 23,390 Publicans and managers of licensed premises 23,390 Chefs, cooks 18,203 Hotel porters 14,455 Travel and tour guides 14,216 Leisure and theme park attendants 14,057 Kitchen and catering assistants 13,084 Waiter/waitresses 12,975 Bar staff 12,413 (Source -Annual survey of hours and earning, 2010, Office for National Statistics) 4 Spotlight on Tourism & Hospitality

5 What do I need to do? Look out for opportunities to try out jobs in this sector as many employers are willing to offer people with no experience a chance to develop their skills. Emphasise your personal skills and qualities such as customer awareness, ability to work in a team and communication skills if you re interested in this sector. From reading this, you will now know that you need to get as qualified as possible to get into this sector. Remember that it s not just university that could be an option. Apprenticeships and vocational courses could also be available. When you re ready to think about getting qualified click Courses in Wales which has links to a variety of training, work based and further education opportunities in your area. If you want to find out about apprenticeships and see what s available click on Apprenticeship Matching Service. So, take the time to research and give yourself the edge! Research, research, research! You wouldn t download music without sampling first. One of the biggest keys to your success is to know as much as you can about the work you re interested in. Ask friends and family if they know anyone that works in this sector and speak to them. Speaking to a careers adviser can really help, especially once you ve done lots of research! This website can really help get your research underway! Click the links under What Jobs Could I Do for information about getting into different jobs in this industry as well as the weblinks under Useful Links. Don t forget, one of the 3 main reasons employers give for not employing applicants is lack of work experience. So, if you want to wow your employer with your knowledge and practical experience and get the advantage you need, start finding out about Work Experience opportunities. Sources of Information Sector Skills - People 1st/Go Skills Sector Skills Council for hospitality, leisure, passenger transport, travel and tourism; Wales Tourist Board; State of the Nation 2011 Sector Skills Council; Career Choices Tourism Sector Assessment Welsh Assembly Government What do Graduates do? 2010 British Hospitality Association Spotlight on Tourism & Hospitality 5