62 | TRADE NEWS
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Jet2holidays Provides £650,000 in Apprenticeship Funding for Independent Travel Agents
a fantastic initiative and will help with the brilliant service that we love giving to our customers.”
The Appoint an Apprentice scheme is the latest demonstration of Jet2holidays’ continued commitment to investing in independent travel agents through its Partners to Success strategy.
With over 150 apprentices already
in
JET2HOLIDAYS has revealed that it is providing almost £650,000 of apprenticeship
funding to support
independent travel agent partners in developing the next generation of talent in their stores and in the travel industry. This funding includes the transfer of almost £500,000 in apprenticeship levy funds to independent travel agents, after a phenomenal response to Jet2holidays’ Appoint an Apprentice scheme. Back in October 2023, the UK’s largest tour operator announced that it was making almost £500,000 worth of apprenticeship funds available via a levy transfer to help independent travel agent partners develop their workforces. The levy funds have been earmarked to enable partners to recruit dedicated apprentices into their businesses, meaning they can bring in new talent whilst retaining and developing a highly skilled workforce. After a huge response from partners, the tour operator has approved apprenticeship levy funds totalling almost £500,000 to be transferred
across approximately 50
different companies, funding almost 100 new apprentices in total. Many of the independent agency partners are classed as small businesses and this will be the first time that many have recruited apprentices. The popularity of the scheme means that demand outstripped the funds available.
employment,
Jet2.com
As part of its Appoint an Apprentice scheme, the UK’s largest tour operator has also revealed today that it is providing £150,000 to help fund the salaries of new apprentices for one year in independent travel agency partners across more than 30 companies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Again, this comes in direct response to a huge number of applications from independent travel agents, after Jet2holidays revealed the new initiative to directly support independent travel agency partners with recruitment and talent development. As well as helping to fund salaries of new apprentices for a year, the £150,000 of funding announced today will also provide bespoke training and support to help with the development of these apprentices. Jet2holidays will hold an event at its commercial offices in Leeds to support these apprentices, with more details to be announced in due course.
Independent travel agents are now beginning the process of recruiting apprentices into their businesses, including Limavady Travel in County Londonderry. “Jet2holidays’ Appoint an Apprentice campaign has been such a great help to Limavady Travel,” said Hazel Simpson of Limavady Travel.
“The dedicated support from Jet2holidays, with specific training for an Apprentice, is
A SPANISH NIGHT: THANK YOU DINNER
and Jet2holidays have a constantly expanding nationwide apprenticeship programme. In a demonstration of their commitment to apprenticeships, they have also been named as one of the supporters of National Apprenticeship Week 2024. Steve Heapy, CEO of
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “We have been truly amazed by the response from independent travel agents to our Appoint an Apprentice scheme. “The volume of applications shows how just much our partners want to grow and develop their workforces, and Jet2holidays is proud to be supporting them by investing in their growth to help them bring through the next generation of talent. “This is a fantastic way to start the new year, investing directly into our independent travel agency partners to help them grow their businesses and support our fantastic industry. “As a
business, we are totally
committed to apprenticeships and today we are taking action to support small businesses to grow through apprenticeships, as well as increase the number of employers who are offering apprenticeships,” he added. Independent travel agents interested in learning more about how they could benefit from working in
partnership with Jet2holidays
should visit the company’s dedicated trade site:
trade.jet2holidays.com.
February 2024
THE EXODUS TRAVELS FOUNDA- TION ANNOUNCES NEW CHAIR- PERSON
Exodus Adventure Travels has appointed Diana Tickell, charity sector stalwart, as the new Chair of the Exodus Travels
Foundation.Established in 2019 as an independent, not-for-profit organisation, the Foundation aims to build upon Exodus’ support of community-based social impact and conservation projects across the globe, working to extend its mission of improving lives through travel across three main strands: people, places and planet
AENOR Makes RIU the First Ho- tel Chain to be Certified in Zero Food Waste
RIU Hotels & Resorts and AENOR signed an al- liance to certify the hotel chain’s hotels with the new “Zero Food Waste” seal. RIU’s commitment, with the support of AENOR certification, has the ambitious objective of fighting the serious prob- lem of food waste. Likewise, the creation of the seal responds to society’s growing concern about food waste while aligning itself with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the sustainability goals of RIU and AENOR. After a rigorous management and verification process, the three hotels have received their certification, guaranteeing that there is no avoidable food waste in the hotels.
ON Thursday 18th January 2024, the Spanish Tourist Office and Partners hosted an official ‘Thank You’ dinner for the Northern Irish Travel Trade. The Spanish Tourist Office and Partners ‘Thank You’ dinner took place at the stunning Titanic Hotel in Belfast. Members of the Northern Irish Travel Trade in attendance enjoyed a delicious Spanish inspired meal, alongside some wonderful presentations from the Spanish Tourist Office and Partners. A spectacular evening, the Spanish Mayor of Salou,
Pere Granados Carrillo was in attendance and hosted a ‘Thank You’ presentation for the NI Travel Trade. In Carillo’s presentation, the Mayor of Salou thanked NI Agents for their contribution towards Spanish Tourism. TourSpain, Salou and Portaventura World collaborated to provide a joint prize which was up for grabs. The prize consisted of return flights, four nights of half-board accommodation, alongside tickets to Portaventura World for two people. The prize was presented by Maureen Ledwith, Sales Director of Holiday World Show, and the lucky winner for the evening was Lisa Campbell from Travel Solutions.
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