IHF boss: Tourism will recover

Tim Fenn was speaking as details emerged this week about how Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) members were recently invited to partake in the Developing Leadership Programme available through Cork ETB’s Training Centre.

Commenting on the collaboration, Mr Fenn said: “Our members remain committed to providing opportunities for career advancement and supporting continued professional training and development for their teams.

“With our global reputation for hospitality and proven quality product, Irish tourism will recover from the pandemic.”

Launched by Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris, the Developing Leaders for Hospitality and Tourism programme will upskill team leads and supervisory staff in critical areas including operations, finance, systems, and people management.

This programme is part of the National Skills to Advance Further Education and Training (Skills to Advance) Initiative, which supports employers to develop their workforce and employees to avail of upskilling and reskilling opportunities.

Mr Fenn added: “Hotel teams will play a critical part in this and so it is important to facilitate them with flexible ways to enhance their skills and achieve recognition for their qualifications. We encourage full support for this important and timely Skills to Advance Initiative.”

Fiona Sneddon, Further Education and Training Centre Manager for Cork ETB, said: “We understand the challenges the hotel industry is facing and know there will be even more pressures on hotels when they reopen, so we have designed this programme with a flexible modular approach.”

Valerie Cowman, Assistant Manager of Cork Training Centre said: “The Supervisory management programme is delivered specifically for the hospitality sector.

“It is designed to reflect the challenges and opportunities that are specific to supervising and managing staff within this sector.”