TMP AND SPIRNGBOARD PAVE THE WAY FOR CAREERS IN HOSPITALITY, LEISURE AND TOURISM
Award winning Italian Restaurant Il Forno was the setting recently for an innovative new scheme put together by The Mersey Partnership (TMP).
Led by Karen Illingworth, TMP’s Tourism Skills Development Manager, the Duke Street venue played host to seven Springboard Ambassadors being trained in presentation skills through workshops funded by TMP, Liverpool City Region’s official Tourist Board.
Springboard is a charitable trust set up to promote the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry in the UK and Il Forno’s Katie O’Sullivan believes that the project is an invaluable guide to developing essential skills in a customer-oriented environment.
“I was delighted to be amongst the people chosen for the course and as Il Forno’s HR and Compliance Manager, have gained an important additional skill set. Along with other Ambassadors I will be going out to schools promoting the industry to young people as a great environment to work in and this a really exciting opportunity for me. I will also be using the skills in my day-to-day role with staff too.
The two-day workshops form part of the ‘Know Your City’ programme for schools and Katie has already presented the experiences of her career in the hospitality industry to 30 students at Liverpool Community College.
The programme, which is funded for 15 months runs from February 2008 to March 2009 and will be presented to 80 schools throughout Merseyside.
Mrs. Illingworth said: “It’s all about changing perceptions - giving young people a taste of reality within the industry and an insight into what it’s like to experience first hand, the sometimes challenging but ultimately very rewarding variety of roles available.”
“We want to encourage more young people to consider a career in tourism & hospitality and make the most of opportunities available to them. We know from the feedback of our Ambassadors how useful the programme can be in influencing young people’s future career decisions.”
For more information please contact Katie Williams at Ubiquity PR on 0151 703 0971 or katie@ubiquitypr.co.uk
