Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2021
304. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the demand for the skills to advance the programme for the hospitality sector; his plans to advance a similar project for those in the retail sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26962/21]
View answerA new initiative under Skills to Advance has been developed in response to a request from the Irish Hotels Federation to boost the retention and career progression of key talent in the hospitality and tourism sector. Two dedicated programmes have been developed by SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in consultation with the Irish Hotels Federation, Fáilte Ireland and the Regional Skills Fora.
Providing highly subsidised training to upskill team leads and supervisory management staff, these programmes will maximise the ability to deal with the new business environment, its challenges and opportunities.
Since its launch on 12th February:
- 12 ETBs have either started or have scheduled programmes for Developing Leaders for Hospitality and Tourism with 317 participants across Level 5 and 6
- 12 other programmes relevant to hospitality and tourism have been delivered with 90 employees participating in a range of training opportunities such as Customer Service, Training Needs Identification and Design and in Patisserie & Confectionary Skills
- To date in 2021 the total number of participants from the sector engaging in upskilling through the ETB programmes is 407.
Plans to advance a similar project for employees in SMEs, including those working in the retail sector, are in development.
