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Advancing sustainable vocational training in Europe trough Pantour

As active members of the PANTOUR project, Gestlabor had the opportunity to participate in the Peer Learning Activity (PLA) “European Vocational Core Profiles – Towards a Sustainable Model of Joint Vocational Content” organised by the European Commission on 21-22 May 2024. This online event brought together experts and stakeholders in vocational education and training (VET) to discuss innovative approaches and challenges in the development of joint training content across Europe.

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The current role of sociological research in tourism planning and skilling

Sociology of tourism studies the relationships, roles and motivations of tourists and the ongoing exchanges between tourists, institutions and host communities. It helps us to understand the social and cultural dimensions of tourism, the impact of tourism on people and places, and the potential of tourism as a tool for social and economic development and social justice.

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The importance of social and cross-cultural skills for tourism and hospitality

Social and cross-cultural skills, often called ‘soft skills’, are among the skills seen as most important for the tourism and hospitality workforce (Wilks & Hemsworth 2011, Sisson & Adams 2013, Weber et al 2009). These skills are highly appreciated by employers in the sector and are also transferable skills that could be easily adapted to different working environments. With the growth of AI and emerging discussions about the displacement of the workforce, social skills are regaining importance with the recognition that many workers in the future will need more complex problem-solving, adaptability and creativity skills. But how can we define these skills?

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Innovating and renewing Skills Intelligence | Recap 1st Pantour webinar

Fast developments in society and the tourism sector led to a new landscape for companies and workers in the industry. Also, due to the pandemic, many jobs in the sector have changed rapidly and new ones have emerged. At the start of the PANTOUR project, a thorough secondary data analysis has been done on current and future skills needs for the tourism industry. Existing data have been analysed, on global and European industry reports, EU policy documents, consultancy papers, and academic research. This has rendered a broad understanding of the status of skills in the tourism industry and what is needed for the future. In this blog, we will share some first insights from these analyses.

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NTG Final Conference: The transition of green, digital and social skills development

On the 9th of June, the NTG Alliance hosts the final online conference ‘The Next Tourism Generation: The transition of green, digital and social skills development’. This conference will be divided into four main modules; collaborative framework on skills development and the NTG Blueprint, innovation in Education, Skills Training, and curriculum development, assessing skills gaps and future skills needs in tourism and the road ahead on skills in tourism – Pact for Skills and PANTOUR. 

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First meeting of National Skills Group (NSG) Italy dedicated to the tourism sector

Launched by the European “Next Tourism Generation Alliance” (NTGA)  project, the ‘National Skills Group (NSG) Italy’, whose aim is to implement the European strategy on skills in tourism, held its first meeting on March 2nd.

The round-table session saw the participation of Chambers of commerce, Regional Unions of Chambers of commerce, Universities, Research Institutes and various Trade and Sector Associations which signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), an agreement protocol aimed at the development and sharing of knowledge, training facilities and methods with a view to facilitating tourism and relative sector supply chains in the transition towards the skills of the future. Delegates from the Lombardy and Piedmont Regions were also present.

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Gender equality and diversity: reskilling, upskilling and returning workers to the hospitality workforce post-Covid

Gina Oglesby, Back to Work Connect interview

 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many studies have pointed out the disproportionate impacts of Covid-19 on the female workforce (OECD a, 2020, European Parliament 2020, UN Women 2020). Arguably the pandemic exacerbated structural inequalities that already existed (UN 2020, Wenham, Smith and Morgan 2020). Women faced differential economic risks, having been overrepresented in hardest-hit sectors of the economy, facing several barriers in business, being more vulnerable to the economic impacts of the crisis, and having to take care of family responsibilities, forcing them to leave their jobs and studies (OECD a, 2021). Furthermore, according to the World Forum Economic Report (2020), since the beginning of the pandemic, displaced workers have been on average more likely to be female, younger and earning a lower wage (p. 17). In the tourism and hospitality industry, the effects of the Covid-19 crisis on women were even more visible as they are more likely to work in this hard-hit sector supplying 60% of the workforce in accommodation, 53% in food and beverage and 47% in air transport around the globe (OECD b, 2021, p 7). Covid-19 impacted jobs and hours of work – particularly for this group (Renaud et al., 2020). Additionally, the loss of jobs in the sector, already highly gendered, the social struggle women have facing as caregivers during the pandemic and the barriers found in applying – for jobs led to more inequalities in the job market.

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Overcoming the Resistance to Reskilling

Overcoming the Resistance to Reskilling

Innovations always demand change

We live in interesting times. Whether a blessing or a curse (according to the famous Chinese proverb), in any case, we need to be flexible and quickly adapt to the new realities. The Covid-19 pandemic significantly enhanced the process of technology integration and the introduction of new standards and procedures.

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