Travel and tourism
The focus on climate change and the demand for responsible tourism has led to great changes in the travel industry. Claire Steiner, Director and Chair of the Education and Training Committee at the Institute of Travel and Tourism and Debbee Dale, MD of AA Graduate explain how the industry is developing and what opportunities exist for graduates. What is the state of the tourism industry today? How is it likely to change in the next few years?In general, the industry is buoyant and continues to grow – despite the economic downturn – with huge growth in cruise and long haul still at the forefront. There is also a significant increase in UK breaks and attractions and the Olympic Games in 2012 (leading up to and beyond) will bring more opportunity for domestic tourism in the UK. Like most sectors, tourism is dictated to by its clients and the economy. There will continue to be significant growth in ‘green’ tourism values, responsible tourism and concerns about the environment and the industry will change and develop in response to these and other factors. This will create more opportunities and, in terms of employment, more diverse positions being created within the industry to meet trends. What opportunities exist for graduates?The travel and tourism sector continues to work hard to promote and develop opportunities for graduates. A new initiative, AA Graduate, launched earlier this year in association with the ITT, is helping place graduates in industry. AA Graduate work with individuals on tailoring their CVs to include a personal profile, details of their final dissertation, work experience, etc, to help ‘sell’ them to prospective employers. There has been a fantastic response from employers looking to recruit graduates, some for the first time. If graduates are happy to start with a ‘shop floor’ job there are opportunities for people without work experience. Graduates who have undertaken work experience in industry may find opportunities within these companies and their experience will count when interviewing for other roles. It is important that prospective employers know what experience you can bring to the position – every job role you have done counts and will have provided you with some skills. The ITT continues to work closely with industry and employers to provide more opportunity and encourage more graduates into the sector; however, there are few graduate programmes available. But there are fantastic careers to be had within this diverse industry and graduates need to be prepared to look at getting on the first rung of the ladder, rather than hold out for these few graduate programmes. Employers are becoming much more aware of the additional skills graduates bring to the workplace and we will start to see further increases of graduate fast track in terms of promotion and opportunity.  The breadth and scope of the sector is huge and therefore there are plenty of different opportunities available from selling holidays/business travel to working for a visitor attraction to working as a holiday rep overseas.
What qualifications, skills and/or experience do graduates need to get into the industry?Many employers have often been confused by the myriad of qualifications in travel and tourism, however the ITT is working closely with People 1st (the Sector Skills Council) to provide clearer messages for employers and future employees on qualifications and skills and there is currently a major review of the National Occupational Standards and Sector Qualifications Strategy. Employers are becoming more involved with consulting on the content of qualifications and future skills needs and are engaging far more with Higher Education. Graduates should be encouraged to get as much work experience as possible and if it is not in the tourism industry then look for customer facing roles and always get references. As well as qualifications, though, employers will be looking for ‘employability skills’, such as communication and customer service and previous work experience will have given you the opportunity to develop and use these skills, from serving customers in a retail environment to communicating with prospective clients in a call centre. A prospective employer will look for examples of these sorts of skills. In addition, don’t underestimate the value of networking and look for every opportunity to meet people within the industry. Some may become valuable mentors and can really help with introductions to potential career opportunities. Is it all long hours and low pay? What rewards can a career in tourism bring?To be successful in any career, you have to be prepared to put in the time and work but there are many rewards for working in this diverse, ever changing industry. This industry is about people, selling dreams and providing amazing opportunities for travelling and meeting people from all areas and walks of life. There are huge opportunities for career growth and promotion though realistically you may have to start on lower pay. It is worth researching roles and organisations as many companies offer great commission schemes and benefit packages, including travel opportunities and training and development. Very few graduates will walk into management positions offering £25k+ and it pays to do your research and look at the huge range of companies within the sector and the different opportunities each provide for personal and career development. The Travel and Tourism industry is full of senior executives who started on the ‘shop floor’ and worked their way to the top, some in a relatively short time period. On top of that, travel and tourism is fun! Further information:
Suggestions to editorial@prospects.ac.uk
| 
