Tourism Minister Jim Mather marked the start of Scottish Tourism
Week by meeting two of more than 1,800 young people supported into
Modern Apprenticeships across the hospitality and tourism sector
during Scotland's Year of Food and Drink.
Mr Mather was in Glasgow to open the 2011 Scottish Hospitality,
Tourism and Catering (ScotHot) Conference - the first in a series
of events taking place throughout Scottish Tourism Week.
While there he met Alex Cruickshank and Laura Aird, who are
serving Modern Apprenticeships with Glasgow-based leisure operator,
G1 Group.
Mr Mather said:
"The Scottish Government is taking robust and comprehensive
action to support young people into work, as underlined in our
Budget for 2011-12, which will support 25,000 modern
apprenticeships - the highest ever number in Scotland.
"These apprentices have an important role to play in driving
forward Scotland's future economic growth, so at the start of
Scottish Tourism Week - when the industry will come together to
consider how we can continue to work collaboratively to grow
tourism - it makes perfect sense to see how our Modern Apprentices
are making an important contribution to that aim.
"And as we start the fourth quarter of Scotland's Year of Food
and Drink, it is good to see how the sector's many modern
apprentices are providing valuable support to our national drive to
celebrate Scotland's reputation as a world-class culinary
destination."
Stephanie Young, Strategic Relations Director at Skills
Development Scotland said:
"Scotland's hospitality and tourism sector employs some 270,000
people with approximately 10,000 additional jobs expected by 2017.
With this level of growth, we are committed to working with
partners to ensure businesses have access to relevant training for
existing employees and a ready stream of skilled people for the
future. We have been delighted with the response from the tourism
industry to Modern Apprenticeships and look forward to working
further with the sector to gear up for this significant
opportunity."
Trish Leckie, Director of Business Development at G1 Group plc,
said:
"Our modern apprentices have become an integral part of our
people development strategy at G1 Group. With the support of The
Tennent's Training Academy, where our Modern Apprentices receive
quality training, we are confident that we will develop some of the
hospitality superstars of the future."
Scotland's hospitality and tourism sector took on 1,823 Modern
Apprentices between April and December 2010. The number of Modern
Apprentices taken on across the sector between April 2010 and March
2011 will be published in May 2011.
Launched in Spring 2010, the Year of Food and Drink is a
national drive to celebrate and enhance Scotland's reputation as a
world-class culinary destination.
Throughout the year, the Scottish Government is uniting with the
food and drink and tourism sectors in a shared commitment to
strengthen economic recovery by encouraging more people - both at
home and visiting Scotland - to sample a taste of the delicious,
authentic and high quality food and drink on offer.
The Year of Food and Drink is the first in a series of focus
years to highlight Scotland's greatest assets in the run-up to a
second year of Homecoming in 2014. The year is a Scottish
Government initiative being delivered by EventScotland and
VisitScotland, supported by Scotland Food and Drink as the key
strategic partner.
The Tennent's Training Academy provides training to leisure
companies including G1 Group, which runs more than 40 restaurants,
bars, clubs, cinemas and hotels across Scotland. The Academy is
open to anyone in the industry with a keen interest in the MA
programme.
(Source: Scottish Government
press release)