| For the industry, by the industry There’s an elephant in the room! Tourism, Hospitality, Events (THE), an industry worth billions to the UK economy and employs over a million people, there are a number of government policy/funding changes I’m hearing about that concern me. Whilst not an expert, there does seem to have been lack of engagement/consultation with the industry that could seriously reduce the number of graduates entering our sector in the future, with the government set to cut funding to universities and in, particular ‘vocational degrees’ which includes events / hospitality etc. AELP the(Association of Employment and Learning Providers) released a statement and have launched a petition to challenge this, with AEME (Association of EventManagement Educators) / UKEVENTS & UK Hospitality supporting this on behalf of our sector. Whilst this could be positive for Events Apprenticeships long term, i.e., reducing the number of graduates available, this will push the emphasis onto employers to train more people internally, which could in turn benefit the apprenticeships program, however, this could be a major step backwards. Effective training and education are critical to sustain and grow these sectors, to create new jobs and further economic impact. Despite this, current education policy does not reflect this. The hospitality and events qualifications are under threat – both within Further Education and Higher Education – as a result direct policy decisions and the consequences of others. Qualified graduates and apprentices are the future life blood of our industry, the talent pool of the future, we cannot and must not bury our head in the sand. If we don’t engage collaboratively around this challenge then we will be to blame for the catastrophic challenge our sector will face in the years to come. Your call to action– support the universities, read their AEME press release, sign the petition! You need to and understand industry sector apprenticeships and use them, build career paths within your organisation, there’s a lot of interest and there’s some great examples we will be sharing, however I can’t bang the drum loud enough, now is the time for action. Give someone the responsibility, set them the challenge. Events Apprenticeships will be holding some webinars over the coming months to support and share thoughts, ideas, and examples of success. The time is now! Richard Waddington, EA Project LeadNEWSCreating career pathways – why are they important? Employees are more likely to stay with a company when a well-defined career path is in place. Employees are also motivated to grow within a company when there’s a well-understood career path. As part of our ongoing work, we are developing pathways for our three key audiences: EmployersEducatorsInfluencersHave a look at what we have developed so far…  More information…  Talent pool set to dwindle… The Government has much to say about the value of tourism, hospitality, and events to the UK economy, and based on current goverment policy, hospitality and events qualifications are under threat – both within Further Education and Higher Education. In response, the Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE), The Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME), and The Association for Events Management Education (AEME) have commissioned a study to evaluate the importance, impact and trajectory of qualifications across the three subject areas. The Associations have also launched an Open Letter which has already secured 1,600 signatures in support of a review of policy approaches. Photo by Mika Korhonen on UnsplashRead more The sector needs to stop waiting for people to “fall into events” “Apprenticeships are not just about entry level jobs,” says Waddington. “They’re about onward learning and career development. Paul Harvey, M&IT, caught up with some key players in the world of event apprenticeships to find out what’s going on – and what needs to happen for the sector to fully take advantage of the opportunites provided by apprenticeships .  Photo by Alexandre Debiève on UnsplashRead more… APPRENTICESHIP NEWS  AELP calling for support for apprenticeship providers AELP have called on the government to provide immediate support to save the skills system or risk a situation where learners will see a drastically reduced choice in where and what they’re able to learn. This should be seen as a wake-up call for government and that support is needed urgently to avoid major impact on learners, employers and providers themselves. AELP is calling for immediate support for apprenticeship providers with an across-the-board uplift of 10% in funding for all apprenticeship standards; as well as raising the maximum government contribution above the current £27,000; and a minimum government contribution of £5,000 per year across all apprenticeships.Photo by Artem Maltsev on UnsplashRead moreWhere are they now? Events Apprentice Graduate, Daisy King Daisy King’s apprenticeship was with Mabrouka Events*. She quickly became an integral part of their team. But when the pandemic hit the events industry, there simply wasn’t enough work Fortunately, Daisy was able to apply her apprentice training in other industries – first as a data input administrator for a fire protection system supplier company then, looking for bigger responsibilities, she moved to a medical device company as a sales administrative assistant. She handled travel logistics for their 10 sales specialists; product availability and pricing enquiries; and assisted the regulatory team with their post-market clinical follow-up surveys. Daisy also broadened her event industry training with an online CIM-accredited diploma course to achieve the Level 4 Events Apprentice qualification.  Photo by Andrew Neel on UnsplashRead more WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU – Take the survey We still need lots of support…Support us to encourage the next generation of talent to join our amazing industry… Companies that support us now will have their profile displayed on the Events Apprenticeships website and recognised as founding partners (or similar). We were asked for some guidelines on what to give, but it’s totally up to you just please do support us support you! Individuals – £25.00Small Co’s (up to 15 people): £250Medium Co’s up to 60 people: £750Large Co’s (60 people and above): £2000 If you would like to support this great initiative, you can do so by pledging or donating via our Crowdfunding page >> Crowdfunder If you prefer to donate via an invoice, please email us and we can arrange this for. For more information, drop us an email: info@eventsapprenticeships.org |
