Tourism skills development

Expansion of the Bosville Hotel in Portree, Skye

The tourism sector workforce across the Highlands and Islands is estimated to be in excess of 20,000 people. These are individuals who play a vital role by delivering service on a daily basis to the many thousands of visitors who travel both within and to the area.

The skills challenge for Highlands and Islands Enterprise is to ensure that the tourism industry has the skills and the people to enable the sector to sustain economic development.

Workforce development is increasingly recognised as a vital component of improving business performance. The competitiveness of tourism businesses can often rest on the quality and skills of employees.

Effective training may be crucial when hiring new recruits or when changing business practices or adding new products. As a business grows, the skills needed for it to remain successful may change.

But help is at hand from our Local Enterprise Companies and other key agencies and organisations to help:

Develop skills including entrepreneurial, leadership and managerial and service skills.
Support tourism businesses in the development of good employment practice that improves retention and performance of staff.
Ensure that the route through training and development is simple, straightforward and appealing.

Help is also available through specific development initiatives including:

100k Welcomes - tourism training programme
This programme is delivered by private sector providers but is owned and co-ordinated by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enteprise. These are the successor courses to Welcome Host and Scotland's Best Service.

Find out more about 100k Welcomes

Springboard Scotland
Support from HIE has enabled the setting up of a dedicated base in the region to tackle staff recruitment and retention difficulties and meet the aspirations of potential recruits. As a tourism employer or employee you can get involved in the work that they do. In other words, help them to help you. Contact Roisin Taylor at Springboard Scotland to be connected to the project manager in your area.

Hospitality Assured
What are you promising your customers? Are you delivering what you promise? Do you know who your customers are? Are you leading the way in your business?

The Hospitality Assured programme is based on the concept of 'very best practice' and can help answer these key questions and more importantly provide a tool to improve the performance and competitiveness of your business. For further information about Hospitality Assured email information@hospitalityassured.co.uk or visit the website.

Support is also available for tourism employers and people working in the tourism industry through generic skills programmes such as Skillseekers, Training for Work, Modern Apprenticeships and Investors in People. For more information about all of these programmes, contact your Local Enterprise Company.

The Hospitality Assured online self assessment
This online assessment comprises 10 key steps against which to measure your tourism/hospitality business. This assessment, when completed, will show how your business is performing and help you understand the things you do well as well as identify where improvement is needed. Try the online assessment