Next week students across the city region will be able to sample for themselves what life would be like working in the tourism industry.
‘Visitor Economy Week’, sponsored by The Apprenticeship Hub, runs from 5-8 February offering secondary school pupils taster sessions covering hospitality, retail, tourism and travel.
There are over 50 events being run across seven colleges in the Liverpool City Region, at venues including Mersey Ferries, Albert Dock, Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Hard Days Night Hotel. Some highlights are detailed below. For a full list of activities please visit www.visitoreconomyweek.co.uk
City of Liverpool College:
An Educational Tour of The Albert Dock as part of its plans to create an education/training programme for children and young people. This is a chance to hear about training/career opportunities and the Dock’s Heritage and History.
8 February
Riverside College:
The BIG VE Discovery Day – tour and treasure hunt of the local attractions across the region.
5 February
Wirral Met College:
3 x 1 hour sessions with the topic of ‘Entomophagy (the human dietary practice of consuming insects).
One of the chef/lecturers will talk about sustainable protein sources, then demonstrate dishes that can be produced using insects (such as cricket carrot cake etc.). Students will be able to taste the products as well as insects in their raw state.
5 February
Hugh Baird College:
Catering and VE students will join forces to welcome commuters from the Mersey Ferry to Liverpool with a warm pot of scouse and a cup of tea. Local school students will also be welcomed aboard to learn about the world famous waterfront.
7 February
Southport College:
Southport Bake Off – open to year 10 students from local schools.
7 February
St Helens and Knowsley College:
Hair, Beauty, Catering and Travel will be offering ‘have a go’ activities to demonstrate what skills are covered within the courses. This event will have a Mandarin theme.
5 February
Peter Sandman, Head of Visitor Economy at Liverpool City Region LEP, said: “With the local visitor economy now worth over £4.3bn annually and supporting over 51,500 jobs, the number and range of jobs in the sector has significantly increased due to high demand.
“Visitor Economy Week provides a great opportunity for students to discover potential career options and help guide those students looking to explore vocational training.”
Melanie Dodd, Skills Strategy Manager for The Apprenticeship Hub, said: “I am very excited to be supporting Visitor Economy Week which will see over 50 Skills Shows being delivered by seven FE Colleges to residents in Liverpool City Region. They are dedicated to ensuring high quality Apprenticeships are available and respected as a sound route into professional careers.”
The launch event will take place on 5 February at Anfield Stadium with speakers including Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and Andrew Stokes – Director at Visit England.
Pictured: serving up Scouse on the Mersey Ferry at one of last year’s events.