Right skills for the job

So you're the head of a successful hospitality business. You appreciate the benefits of education for both staff performance and retention, but a rush of holiday requests has hit your desk and your usually hardy deputy Brian has succumbed to flu and will be out of action for several weeks. Your new recruits need educating, but a six-month college course is too long, so what can you do?

Well, Brian simply needs plenty of bed rest, but the answer to your education needs may well come in the form of two new national one-day qualifications being introduced at colleges across England by the Hospitality Awarding Body (HAB).

"We asked employers and colleges want they needed and the unanimous answer was short, sharp, qualifications geared towards the industry," explains Richard Finan, commercial director at the HAB. "We want to attract people who might not get any formal hospitality education, or those unable to return to full-time education."

Accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, one course covers customer service, teaching the importance of discipline and the theory that a happy customer spends more. The other, HAB Level One Introductory Certificate in Hospitality Selling, equips non-sales staff with customer contact, such as barmen or waitresses, with the skills they need to sell guests additional services.

Both vocational qualifications address the concerns of employers thrown up by an earlier survey by the HAB - access, time and cost. Most typical applicants won't have to pay for courses as their age and lower wages will make them eligible for Learning and Skills Council support. Colleges may charge additional fees, but initial feedback suggests these will be nominal.

Both courses can be additional qualifications for school or college leavers to offer potential employers, or as basic education for employees at smaller companies that lack the required time or resources to train in-house or let employers go on longer courses.

And even the larger players are supporting the initiative, with contract caterer Sodexho planning to register 2,000 employees this year. "It's all about creating a currency for these qualifications through a framework of vocational qualifications," Finan says. "We want people to be able to go to an employer and say ‘look, I've got the skills you need', which will free up the interviewer to concentrate on the candidate's personality and whether they fit the business's needs."

Developing nicely

At present the HAB has around 13 approved centres in England offering the one-day qualifications, including Westminster Kingsway College, London, and Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative studies. More are in the pipeline and the body aims to have 50 signed by March.

Once the application has been received, it usually takes about four to six weeks to approve, and the HAB expects a rise in the number of colleges offering the qualifications in the new academic year in September. Further qualifications such as confrontation management are being discussed, as is the expansion of the scheme into Wales.

For your nearest provider, contact Alice Cardwell-Hodges on: 07768 028 389, or visit www.hab.org.uk.

What is the HAB?

The Hospitality Awarding Body is one of the commercial wings of the Hospitality Training Foundation, a not-for-profit charitable organisation. Founded 30 years ago as the Hotel and Catering Training Board, the foundation gained national training organisation (NTO) status in 1997.

This year the Government is replacing NTOs with its new employer-led Sector Skills Councils (SSC). To help support a bid for SSC recognition, the foundation will be merging with the Travel Tourism Services and Events NTO, while continuing its efforts to develop the right people for the industry through education, training and qualifications. The organisation will also continue its development work for Modern Apprenticeships and National Occupational Standards.