TOURISM AND EMPLOYMENT
- Follow-up given to the Council Conclusions of 21 June 1999 INTERIM DOCUMENT OF WORKING GROUP B
IMPROVING TRAINING IN ORDER TO UPGRADE
SKILLS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY
Draft
Executive Summary
Mr Jens Friis Jensen
Rapporteur WGB
26-09-2000
TOURISM AND EMPLOYMENT
Draft Executive Summary. WGB
 The diagnosis of the reality shows that the globalisation of products, services and markets
already affects the tourism sector in Europe to an extent where there are more similarities
than differences between the factors that affect tourism in all the Member States. Together
with the consequences of globalisation, the relative loss in global market shares and signs
of problems with quality are indications of the need for improved competitiveness.
 In many countries the seasonal character of tourism represents an obstacle to the
development of tourism but in general the challenges tourism in Europe is facing can be
linked to human resource problems, low productivity, quality gaps and the unexploited
potential of technology.
 There is a difference between sub-sectors in the way the factors identified have an impact
on the single sector. Parts of the hotel and restaurant sector, together with travel agencies
and the transport sector experience the problems caused by the factors to a lesser degree.
There is also a difference between the large number of small enterprises with seasonal
structure and the very large (global) enterprises with whole year structure.
Factors which could affect training in the Tourist industry
(distilled from the Country Reports-not listed in order of priority)
1. Employment
vacancies
2. Staff turnover
3. Staff
recruitment
and retention
4. Seasonality
5. Employment
of foreign
nationals
6. Work
conditions.
7. Financial
resources.
8. Poor perception and
image of tourism
9. Career perspectives.
10. Labour shortage.
11. Skills gaps.
12. There is not a high
level of off-the-job
training of staff.
13. Relevance of
qualifications
14. Low level of education
of the workforce.
15. Wage inflation
16. Productivity.
17. Technology.
18. Industry
complexity.
19. Limited size of the
enterprise
20. Lack of specialist
trainers with
experience in the
sector.
21. Poor quality training
and overproduction
of candidates/
diplomas
22. Fierce competition
23. Changes in organisational culture and the
evolution of the
nature of work
24. Motivation behind
access to tourism as a
job
25. Globalised tourism
markets and evolution of the nature of
demand for services
26. Vertical and
horizontal integration
processes
Source: Self-elaborated from the Country Reports.
 In fact it seems to be necessary - when talking about training needs and solutions - to deal
with two types of problems, two segments with different problems: The small family-run
enterprise, the micro-enterprise; The large tourism enterprise.
 Due to the structure of the tourism sector it will be necessary to continue the work on the
development of training systems, which incorporate the problems of season and the great
share of micro enterprises. Public authorities should play a major role in the development
of these training systems, which has to build on close links with the industry.
 But the general picture is that the tourism industry in general has problems of retaining
labour (high labour turn-over) and the industry in some countries is experiencing problems
of recruiting labour. Furthermore the industry in many countries in particular in the
accommodation and restaurant sectors, struggles with a poor image as an employer.
 In general tourism is experiencing/facing a skills gap. Despite an improvement in the level
of formal education tourism is still – with exceptions for sub-sectors such as travel
agencies, transport companies and tourism organisations - characterised by a relatively
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Draft Executive Summary. WGB
low level of education compared to other sectors of the economy. Furthermore there is
evidence that empirical knowledge is no longer enough to be competitive.
 There is an increased need for research and research-based education. At the same time it
is also necessary to establish close links between universities and the industry to improve
mutual understanding and the dissemination of knowledge.
 The training needs identified show that there is a need for improving general management
skills. Particular attention, though, should be given to skills needed to face the impact and
potential use of ICT and the development of human resources. For supervisors it is the
training skills and for skilled (and semi-skilled) craft it is the integration of traditional
technical skills with the skills derived from the emerging new job profile that is the most
important.
All categories
-
-
Tourism
New
technologies
Quality
Customer
Care
Reception
skills
Communications
Languages
Team work
Project work
Sustainable
development
Entrepreneurship
Safety and
security
within
tourism
enterprises
First Aid
Training needs in the Tourist Industry per category.
Managers
Supervisors
Skilled craft
Semi-skilled
workforce
training needs all categories +
training needs training needs training needs
all categories+ all categories+ all categories+
- Basic Computer skills
- Basic
- Personal
- Personal
- Business Planning/ strategic
Computer
skills
skills
planning
skills
- Problem
- Technical
- Strategic management
- Human
solving
skills (bar,
- Management Skills
Resource
- Basic
kitchen,
Management
- Management through vision
computer
restaurant,
- Hygiene
and values
skills
cleaning.)
- Accounting
- Yield Management
- Induction
- In-house- Supervision
- Accounting
training
training
skills
- Product development,
- House- Training
innovation
keeping
skills
- Marketing
training
- Sales
- Induction
- Human Resource
training
Management
- Planning resources, guidance
and advice at regional/local
level
- Project management
- Management skills to cope
with the globalisation reality
- Train the Trainer
- Hygiene
Source: Self-elaborated from the Country Reports.
 Together with a general improvement of skills for all categories priority should be given
to the integration of traditional technical skills with the skills derived from the emerging
new job profile. The changes in organisation and the new job profile indicate the need to
move from a stage where the organisation is purely based on operations to a stage where
the organisation, while still being operational, also becomes a development/learning
organisation which will influence future training needs.
 Still there seems to be a need for developing the analytical framework for analysing
learning practices in tourism in particular in micro enterprises and for analysing and
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Draft Executive Summary. WGB
identifying skills needs (competencies) to improve the basis for the anticipation of all
ready coming and future job profiles.
 Priority/the focus should therefore be – not on education as the single solution to the
problems - but on the capability of the enterprise to develop the existing workforce – in
co-operation with training institutions, local/regional authorities, the social partners and
other relevant stakeholders - in order to gain sustainable competitive advantage through
the development of human resources.
RECOMMENDATIONS
On the basis of the diagnosis of the reality of learning in the tourism industry in Europe –
distilled from the information provided by the national experts in the Country Reports – the
following three strategic fields are recommended as priorities in order to improve the
competitiveness of tourism enterprises from a training/learning perspective.
1. Attracting skilled labour to the sector
It is necessary to improve the attractiveness and the image of the sector as a serious
alternative to other sectors of the economy in order to ensure future recruitment and
diminishing the skill gaps. The following measures are recommended:
Short term
Long term
 A benchmarking system on 1) innovative
and flexible training solutions (with the
involvement of the social partners); 2)
career-paths, mobility, improved working
conditions and flexible working contracts
supported by a research and development
programme.
 Detecting and generating innovative
solutions in order to improve the image of
the tourism sector; involving all
stakeholders.
 Improving the quality of education and
training in tourism for people entering the
industry so that it to a better reflects the real
needs of the tourism sector. (to be coordinated with WGC)
 Establishing closer links with industry,
 Improving the quality of trainers
 Develop tailored training programmes together
with the industry for new labour entering the
tourism sector using seasonality as a means for
innovative solutions.
2. Retaining and developing labour in the sector
High turn over and skill gaps are identified as some of the most important factors affecting
tourism. There is a need to improve the enterprise ability to retain and develop HR in tourism.
Short term
Long term
 Identifying activities to raise  Continuing training should be made flexible and adaptive
awareness among the tourism
on new skills taking into account the complex working
industry
–
and
other
schedule and seasonality in the industry together with the
stakeholders - with the purpose
fast changes in skill needs. Continuing training should not
of the benefits of qualified
only be thought of for skilled/semiskilled labour but also for
labour, improved working
supervisors and managers.
conditions, investment in  The concept of life-long-learning should be further
training and on the career
developed and promoted within tourism
possibilities in the tourism
 Improve the knowledge basis on skill needs and training in
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Draft Executive Summary. WGB
sector as a whole.
 A research programme on
human
resources
needs,
innovation,
learning,
productivity and improved
working conditions focusing
on the role and responsibility
of the enterprises respectively
the public authorities in a
public-private interface.
 A
benchmarking
system
directed at tourism enterprises
as a concrete tool for
improving business excellence
via
investment
in
the
development
of
human
resources and it’s impact on
quality, innovation, reduced
operational costs, etc (to be coordinated with WGC).





tourism. (to be coordinated with WGA)
Improve statistics in the field of education, training and
learning needs (to be coordinated with WGA)
Develop the analytical framework for analysing and
identifying present and future skill needs (to be coordinated
with WGA)
Bench-marking system for detecting innovative solutions
for the validation and recognition of qualifications acquired
both in formal education and as a result of professional
experience and informal training as 1) motivation for
improving skills both for employees and employers and 2)
building loyalty to the tourism industry
The formation of a European Forum to facilitate the
exchange and dissemination of tourism training practice
among the Member States. The Forum should include an
observatory of qualifications and skill needs in tourism in
the EU and ensure better documentation on labour and
training: number of jobs, job creation, skill needs, training
expenditure, working conditions, etc (to be coordinated
with other WG’s)
The creation of a network of Centres of experiences in
tourism
3. Improving competitiveness in micro-enterprises
The micro enterprises are an important part of European tourism and need to have particular
attention due to their special conditions
Short term
Long term
 Programme for improvement of management skills – not  Research on the concept of
only the management of the enterprise: business planning,
learning in tourism as a common
marketing, product development and innovation and
concept for the development of
HRM, but also skills in developing strategic alliances
human resources in tourism in
(networks) between enterprises need to be developed
Europe in particular in micro
(strategic management).
enterprises so as to get
knowledge
on
how
to
 Special attention should be given to the potential for an
systematically improve the
integrated use of ICT in micro enterprises.
capability of the enterprise to
 Support the further development of Concepts for
develop the existing workforce
Regional/local learning structures, learning in networks as
in order to gain sustainable
a system for improving competitiveness in micro
competitive advantage through
enterprises that can 1) Anticipate training/skills needs and
the development of human
2) Secure their flexible and immediate provision with the
resources.
active involvement/participation of all stakeholders
 Development of the analytical
involved in improved training structures
framework
for
analysing
 Support the development of concepts for learning where
learning practices in tourism in
regional/local public authorities take the initiative in a
particular in micro-enterprises
dialogue with relevant stakeholders to establish networks
and
for
analysing
and
of enterprises supported by training institutions
identifying present and future
 Diminishing barriers and obstacles to training for microskill needs to improve the
enterprises by identifying and providing sources of
anticipation of emerging job
funding for planned training.
profiles.
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TOURISM AND EMPLOYMENT
Draft Executive Summary. WGB
 Despite the education and training reforms in several countries there is still great
uncertainty about how tourism education should evolve in the future to take up the
challenges described in the report. The issue of future requirements for tourism education
and training should therefore be followed very closely and could together with the issue of
learning be the subject of systematic research, both at national and EU-level.
 Several Community Policies and EU-programmes could make important contributions in
meeting the challenges described in the report: policies on vocational training,
employability, mobility and life-long-learning, programmes such as Leonardo da Vinci,
EQUAL, Socrates, Tempus, community action programme for youth and the 5th
framework programme.
 A dialogue between the Member States, the European Commission, European institutions
and specialised institutions such as CEDEFOP, ILO1; the tourism industry, the social
partners, other relevant stakeholders and other experts on education issues within the EU
is needed to start a discussion on how to build a strategy for the future process of
improvement and development of human resources and learning.
 The role and responsibility of all stakeholders in future solutions can not be stressed
enough. Yet public authorities at all levels – national, regional and local level - must be
said to have a special and very important role to play in the development of micro
enterprises. As a consequence, training and strategic information should be made available
for public authorities in particular for authorities responsible for local development (to be
co-ordinated with other WG’s).
This document – as result of common work of Member State experts – is proposed to form
the basis of EU guidance to Member States on tourism training support through existing EUprogrammes implemented at national level such as the ESF-programmes.
1
CEDEFOP: European Centre for Development of Vocatonal Training . ILO: International Labour Organisation (UN).
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