Survey highlights hospitality skills challenge

Commenting on the findings of the 2009 National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) for England, which has just been published, Martin-Christian Kent, director of policy and research at People 1st, said:"The findings help emphasise the scale of the challenge and the way employers in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector are responding to it. "A quarter of sector employers are reporting skills gaps compared to 19% across the economy as a whole. We know that these are mainly management and leadership, customer service and chef skills. "With the Olympic and Paralympic Games just two years away it's critical that the sector can address those skill needs and reap the legacy that the Games presents to the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector, in a similar way to which has been positively reported in Vancouver. "What is encouraging is that most employers have not cut back on training and are tackling these skills, in spite of the recession. What the findings show is that they are in fact spending much more than employers in many other industries. "This supports our own research that whilst employers are continuing to invest in training and development, they are changing the way it is being taken forward. "Approximately, half are thinking about bringing it back in-house and a third looking at the benefits of qualifications and government funding. It is critical that employers get the right advice and guidance and can maximize their investment in training whether in-house or through qualifications. The NESS report published by the UK Commission for Education and Skills can be found on http://www.ukces.org.uk/national-employer-skills-survey-for-england-2009-key-findings-report-launched