Webinar Tourism & Hospitality Training: Bridging Skills Gaps and Industry Needs | 16 April 2026

Training today is no longer about transferring knowledge. It’s about equipping people who can navigate change, make decisions in uncertainty, and turn sustainability and digitalisation into real action. On 16 April 2026, PANTOUR is organising a full-hour webinar around ”Tourism & Hospitality Training: Bridging Skills Gaps and Industry Needs”. This webinar is not about understanding theory, it is about what you can actually apply tomorrow in your work. Because lifelong learning is no longer just a concept, it is becoming a necessity. The tourism sector does not need more content. It needs better training. Training that sticks, that translates into action, and that prepares people for what’s next.

This webinar is designed for trainers and educators, for professionals working in tourism or hospitality, for those developing skills programmes, and for anyone trying to keep up with the pace of change in the sector.

 

Registration

Registration is open, so register now: here

 

Content

We will introduce you to the 55+ piloted training modules, building upon existing knowledge and the PANTOUR Resource Book for Trainers: a practical, no-nonsense toolkit designed to help you create training programmes that actually make an impact. Not more theory or slides people forget. But real tools to help you:

• design engaging and future-proof trainings
• combine digital skills, sustainability and human/social skills
• adapt your sessions to online, offline or hybrid formats
• and most importantly: create learning that sticks

 

You will leave the webinar with:

Fresh ideas you can apply immediately
Practical methods used across Europe
A new perspective on what effective training really means

 

Program line-up

12:30 | Welcome & Opening
Setting the scene: why tourism training needs to evolve, now.

12:35 | From Vision to Practice: Building Adaptive Training with PANTOUR
Olena de Andre Gonzalez, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences

12:45 | The Future of Job Training
Ulla Taipale-Lehto, Finnish National Agency for Education

12:55 | Bridging the Gap: New Occupational Profiles & Training Programmes
Dr. Lajos Böröcz, VIMOSZ

13:05 | Training in Action: Piloting the PANTOUR Programme
Jere Kuusinen

13:20 | Open Discussion — The Floor is Yours
Exchange ideas, ask questions, and share perspectives.

13:30 | Closing Remarks
Key takeaways and what’s next.

 

Speaker line-up

Dr. Olena de Andres Gonzalez

Dr. Olena de Andres Gonzalez is a Specialist Researcher at Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Finland. Her current work includes managing and leading athe development of Training for the PANTOUR project. Her research focuses on management, leadership, sustainability, the blue economy, and skills development in the tourism and maritime industries. Dr. de Andres Gonzalez has over 15 years of teaching and research experience across European educational frameworks and has contributed to numerous scholarly publications.

 

Ulla Taipale-Letho

Ulla Taipale-Lehto is a Lead Adviser for Education at the Finnish National Agency for Education with nearly 28 years of experience in anticipating future competence, education, and labour needs. Her work focuses on the development of national anticipation practices and producing foresight results to support education and training policy. She also contributes to a national working group on developing medium- and long-term anticipation of education and training needs in Finland.

 

Dr. Lajos Böröcz

Dr. Lajos Böröcz – Secretary General, Hungarian Hospitality Employers’ Association, VIMOSZ

Having worked in so called ”people” industries acquired high understanding and handling capacity of HR related company issues, teaching-training skills. 10 years of MD position in big enterprises. Since 2004 Secretary General of the Hungarian Hospitality Employers’ Association (VIMOSZ), which represents the employers’ of 140.000 employees. Coordinates the activities of the Hungarian Sectoral National Skills Group. Together with its members, develop and identify training tools, approaches and resources to facilitate the adaptation of tourism to current and future skills needs in particular in the areas of digital, sustainable and social practices. Member of the T4T (Together for EU Tourism) Expert Group, BusinessEurope Education and Training Working Group, and OECD (BIAC) Innovation, Digital and Tourism Committe.

 

Join us!

Join our lunchbreak webinar on 16 April 2026, 12:30 – 13:30 CET and get insights on the new PANTOUR European Framework on training, learning and development.

Registration is open, so register now: here