23 May
2019

Bringing travel industry employers and education providers together to address key skills gaps in the travel industry

ABTA has been involved in the skills and talent sphere for many years through its Education Partner programme as well as its involvement in the new Travel Consultant Apprenticeship. This seminar is aimed at working with educators and ABTA Members to create a better understanding of the current and future challenges with regards to skills and talent in the industry, and how to attract and retain that talent. 

We have a fantastic line-up of speakers including:

  • Patricia Yates, VisitBritain who will be talking about the Tourism Sector deal
  • John Cope, CBI who will be addressing the skills issues associated with Brexit 
  • Claire Steiner, Global Tourism Partnership who will be sharing best practice on developing talent. 

Having outlined the challenges to skills in the travel industry, the seminar will also take a look at what types of skills the industry needs to take into consideration for the future. Paula Letorey from PwC will share research showing what the workforce is likely to look like in five, 10 and 20 years time, and what employers should be planning for in this respect. 

We know that digital skills are a real gap in the industry and Dimitrios Buhalis from Bournemouth University will share his views on how the travel industry should address this.

In an increasingly challenging business environment, where competition for the best talent is growing, it is important to understand what new recruits are looking for from employers. We know that Millennials and Generation Z have different expectations from employers than previous generations. Claire Haven-Tang, Cardiff Metropolitan University & Co-Chair, Association for Tourism in Higher Education and Franki Johnson, Generation Z Specialist at Embrace Change Ltd will focus on attracting the younger workforce. We will also hear from Kate Nicholls, UK Hospitality & Head of the Tourism Sector Deal Recruitment Workstream who will hold a session on promoting careers in travel, looking at how travel can compete with other industries.

It is important to understand what employers are looking for from students. Danielle Grant, HR Manager UK&I, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Barbara Kolosinska from C&M Travel Recruitment will take a look at this and how educators can better prepare their students for employment. 

New for 2019, you will have the opportunity to take part in roundtable discussions, focusing on a range of issues related to skills and skills gaps. These will be chaired by industry and education experts and delegates will have a chance to contribute to two sessions. 

ABTA’s Future Skills in Travel and Tourism seminar will take place on 19 June at ABTA’s offices in London Bridge. Download the agenda, find out more and register your place here