£1 per Employee Campaign and a Back to Work Scheme

ABTA LifeLine, ABTA’s charitable trust, is launching this year’s £1 per employee appeal and an innovative Back to Work Initiative in partnership with Thomas Cook and New Frontiers Direct at the Travel Convention in Palma Mallorca.

So far Advantage, Avis, Bath Travel, Kuoni, Sunvil, TUI and Worldchoice have signed up to the £1 per employee appeal and ABTA LifeLine is using the convention as a platform both to publicise the work done by Lifeline, and to encourage more companies to sign up. LifeLine has made a very real difference to the lives of so many people in the last 12 months but can, and will, do more with the support and help of the industry.

The Back to Work initiative is about supporting people who have worked for an ABTA Member and are currently out of work, by giving people them the skills, confidence and work experience to get them back into the travel industry workplace. New Frontiers Direct will offer the skills and confidence whilst Thomas Cook will offer work experience across its broad range of businesses. ABTA Lifeline can also offer assistance for the many of the day-to-day necessary expenses for those re-entering the job market.

Trudie Drake ABTA LifeLine Director said: “I am delighted that ABTA LifeLine is launching this new ’back to work’ programme, helping people from our industry when they need it most. This is a new, ground breaking initiative for us and we look forward to bringing other companies on board in the future. Obviously without funds our ability to help many people who are desperately in need is severely restricted. Our £1 per employee scheme is a simple, elegant way for companies both large and small to make an invaluable contribution.”

Andy Cooper from Thomas Cook said: “We are delighted to be supporting the ABTA LifeLine initiative. The location of our shops and businesses across the UK should be a great benefit to those joining the scheme."

Julia Feuell of New Frontiers Direct said: “I am thrilled that we are supporting ABTA LifeLine with such a worthwhile initiative. It will provide experienced people who are currently out of work, a valuable opportunity to get back into the travel industry”.

ABTA Members who sign up to the Back to Work Initiative will benefit from access to a pool of experienced, skilled and motivated staff which they can recruit direct from. If the Member successfully recruits, they are encouraged to make a contribution to ABTA LifeLine to help it carry on the good work.