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Last chance to have a say on apprenticeships
Lee Hayhurst
lee.hayhurst@travelweekly.co.uk
Travel firms have just four days to help shape the future of apprenticeships in the sector, with critical issues related to overseas and seasonal staff still unresolved.
A consultation on government
apprenticeships paid for by a new levy will close on September 5, ahead of planned implementation in April 2017. The levy, which will be paid
only by firms with an annual wage
bill of more than £3 million, will provide employers in all sectors with funds to improve the quality of training for 16-18-year-olds. Travel sector skills body
People 1st is broadly happy with proposals that have put travel consultants in an annual funding band of £9,000 per apprentice. Firms will be able to access up
to that level to fund their training schemes from May. Annette Allmark, director of
strategy policy at People 1st, described the proposal as a “good result” for travel. “What has been proposed is a
positive step forward in terms of simplifying the way apprenticeships are funded,” she said. But Allmark added that it was
still vital firms had their say before the final plan is published in October, in particular due to two areas of concern. One issue is whether schemes
for overseas holiday reps who work for UK-based firms will be eligible. As apprentices must undergo a face-to-face assessment, firms would need to have the infrastructure in place in destinations to provide this.
The second concern is that the current proposals do not allow for a break in 12-month apprenticeships, so seasonal workers would be left out. David Cameron’s government
started a pilot scheme offering 18-month apprenticeships with a break in the middle, and Allmark said People 1st wanted this to be
addressed in the new legislation. The apprenticeship funding consultation can be found at:
beisgovuk.citizenspace.com/ ve/apprenticeship-funding- proposals
5 OTAs keen to highlight sustainability
Ian Taylor
ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk
The world’s biggest online travel agents,
Booking.com and Expedia, are in talks to include sustainability accreditation in hotel search results.
Leading operators, particularly
Tui, already identify hotels certified by Abta’s Travelife and other schemes recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). But the big OTAs do not, as too few hotels are
certified to show up in search results.
Bookdifferent.com, a subsidiary of
Booking.com, is one of only a few to display properties certified as ‘sustainable’. GSTC chief executive Randy
Durband said: “We’ve had extensive discussions with Expedia, TripAdvisor and
Booking.com. The giant OTAs want at least 4,000- 5,000 hotels [accredited].” The GSTC recognises 27 schemes, including Travelife, but has accredited only three. There are about 2,000 hotels in GTSC- certified schemes (Biosphere in
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travelweekly.co.uk 1 September 2016 Travel Weekly understands
“Two or three bodies are on the way to accreditation in six to 12 months”
Spain, and EarthCheck and ECO Certification in Australia) and 5,000 in recognised schemes. Durband said: “The big OTAs are
more interested. I’m confident we’ll reach a threshold in the next year that will be sufficient. Two or three significant bodies are on the way [to accreditation] in six to 12 months.”
Travelife is one of these. However, a broad take-up online
will also require development of a single certification mark. Durband said: “The certification bodies are protective of their brands. Some have had separate discussion with OTAs, but the OTAs aren’t interested.”
An Expedia spokesperson said: “Sustainable travel is an important and growing area for us and we continue to look for ways to expose travel providers who are doing this well to our customers.”
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