Pub, restaurant and hotel employers were given access to £112m of government funds today to help with training their staff.
Following on from a £100m deal with the National Skills Academy means the government has set aside £212m for improved training so far this year.
The latest funding deal, called compact, was developed in partnership with People 1st and means that the Train to Gain initiative will be simplified making it easier for 120,000 employees to get their hands on training funding.
The funding was officially announced this morning by the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills John Denham.
People 1st chief executive Brian Wisdom said: “More and more employers are realising the increased need to invest in the best staff to improve their businesses.
“In an environment of rising costs the most enlightened employers are even more committed to investing in the skills of their people improving the customer experience and profits – this deal shows that government are dedicated to investing in the areas most critical to industry.
Secretary of State, John Denham added: “The government values the immense contribution the hospitality, leisure and travel and tourism industries make to our national life, and is committed to working closely with the sector to help it attract, train and retain quality staff.
“This compact will ensure that employers will have access to flexible, world-class training tailored to the specific needs of their business, delivered when and where they need it.”
The compact provides funding for relevant qualifications and some short courses, a sector specific Train to Gain solution and a simpler definition for how the sector’s 180,000 businesses can achieve funded training.
Wisdom added: “We are delighted that thanks to the time, involvement and support of industry we have managed to secure such a partnership deal with government that will provide real solutions for them.
“This is great news and with our ongoing work to develop fit-for-purpose qualifications the delivery of our national skills strategy is now a huge step closer.”
