:: press release ::

Tuesday June 24, 2008

FOCUS ON HOSPITALITY SECTOR REQUIRED SAYS ROSS 

Stormont Employment and Learning Committee Member Alastair Ross MLA has said that more people need to be trained in the tourism and hospitality sector if we are to meet the demands of increased visitor rates in Northern Ireland, as is a specific target in the Programme for Government.  
 

The East Antrim DUP representative made his comments after meeting with People 1^st at Parliament Buildings this morning.  
 

Mr Ross said, 
 

“Tourism is growing in Northern Ireland and it will grow even further over the course of the next number of years, however if we are to capitalise on increasing visitor numbers we must have the adequate skilled people working in the tourism and hospitality industry.  
 

The statistics show quite clearly that there is a skills shortage in the sector, and some 49% of job vacancies in the hospitality industry are proving hard to fill. It is not even the case that the jobs can be filled by foreign workers as many of the Eastern European workers who have benefited the industry so much are starting to return home due to the stronger Euro and other factors.  
 

There is also evidence that there is a huge staff turnover in the industry and that people do not see the tourism industry as a sound career choice that will allow for individual betterment.  
 

A real focus needs to go on the tourism sector so that we have a skilled indigenous workforce that can fill the jobs in this growing sector. We cannot rely on international workers to fill the jobs any longer and must properly address this issue.”