Government puts People 1st with new training strategy

The government has signed a five-year deal with the hospitality and leisure Sector Skills Council (SSC) that will see a dedicated training strategy in place for the industry this year.

Christened People 1st, the SSC will receive an initial £5m from the Department for Education and Skills but the eventual aim is for it to become funded by the industry.

People 1st replaces the Hospitality Training Foundation and covers gaming, travel and tourism as well as pubs among a total of 14 different industries.

Each has a representative on the SSC board, which is chaired by former Pubmaster chairman John Brackenbury and includes former Scottish & Newcastle Retail vice chairman Chris Ripper.

People 1st chief executive officer Simon Turl, a former boss of the the Travelodge hotel chain and currently on secondment from catering company Compass, compared the final go-ahead from the government as "like passing your driving test".

"Now we can really go out there on our own and start working," he said. "The great challenge is to get the training where it's needed, at operator level."

October 2004 will see the launch of a People 1st "product" to sell to the industries. It will include regional forums where operators will be able to put forward their specific training needs.

The contract was signed by tourism minister Richard Caborn and science minister Lord David Sainsbury at an informal ceremony held at the Gala Barracuda Casino in London's West End.

Pictured l-r: Richard Caborn, John Brackenbury and Lord David Sainsbury at the launch of People 1st.​