UNI Europa Tourism have joined the Skills Partnership for the Tourism Ecosystem. It brings together workers’ unions, business organisations, EU umbrella organisations, vocational and education training providers, and regional/municipal authorities to jointly support reskilling and upskilling the European tourism workforce.
This initiative is an effort to contribute to meeting the objectives of the twin green and digital transition and bolster the resilience of the tourism ecosystem in the medium to long-term.
Immediate action from now until summer 2022 should focus on recovering the lost workforce, with re- and up-skilling both current and lost workforce in core new skills that are in demand as an important factor. This requires quick, non-bureaucratic and flexible cooperation between the public sector, education systems and the tourism eco-system (especially industry and trade unions) as first practical step of the Pact For Skills.
Long-term trends suggest the sector will experience disruptions in skills demands together with a foreseeable shift in the composition of the workforce. This presents an opportunity to reset the tourism sector in order to make it fit for the future through Skills Intelligence (the early detection of skills gaps, new occupational profiles), changes in training methodologies, and profound changes in the formal and informal education system as regards flexibility, quick uptake of new needs and opening up to lifelong training. This requires close and constructive cooperation between authorities that are responsible for legislation and the social partners.
UNI Europa are coordinating within the Skills Partnership for the Tourism Ecosystem with ETF and EFFAT to ensure that job and skill retention social sustainability, sustainable work, the impact on working conditions and other worker interests are put at the centre of this initiative.
