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Why Scotland’s hospitality sector is upskilling 2000 of its leaders, managers and supervisors

Caterer.com talk to three scholars taking part in the HIT Scotland Tourism and Hospitality Talent Development Programme about why they got involved, building their networks, and being inspired to bring new ideas to their businesses.

The first participants share their experience

Morven Shaw, Guest relations Duty Manager with Royal Yacht Enterprises, Kyle Lobban, Restaurant Manager at The Chester Hotel in Aberdeen and Cassie Bouverie from Private House Stays represent very different hospitality and tourism businesses.

As participants in the first programme of its kind in Scotland, Caterer.com were keen to find out what had motivated each of them to get involved, making a commitment to their personal development, at a time when the future is uncertain and hospitality in Scotland is facing some of its toughest challenges.

What the Talent Development Programme is offering

The Talent Development Programme is delivering a virtual Leadership, Management and Supervisory training programme to tourism and hospitality people, building their skills and confidence before the sector reopens for business.

Developed over many months, through collaboration and support from all sectors within Scotland’s tourism and hospitality sector, the programme is the first of its kind in Scotland and is funded by the Scottish Government.

Designed to motivate and develop top talent, the programme will give the future leaders of hospitality in Scotland the skills, knowledge and networks to make a positive long-term impact.

Why get involved in the Talent Development Programme?

We started by asking Morven why she was on the programme. ‘After my position was made redundant last year, I was lucky enough to be invited to become a manager. I was excited but also nervous about my new role and this programme came along at exactly the right time to give me the confidence to move into a new job in a new sector.’

Cassie’s motivation was focused on developing the skills needed to take her hospitality booking business to the next level. ‘I’ve just launched a new website which went live two weeks ago, and I want to develop the skills and confidence to expand the business and take it nationwide.’

Kyle manages a team in his current role and was also the recipient of a HITs Scholarship in 2020. ‘HITs have done so much for hospitality in Scotland, and I thought the programme was a very good opportunity to develop my personal skills, and especially as I’ve recently been promoted into a new role as restaurant manager.’

The value of learning and development

Retaining top hospitality talent has always been a challenge in Scotland – due to scale there are more opportunities in other parts of the UK and Europe.

By placing their people on the Talent Development Programme, employers are demonstrating their faith in their people, with the long-term aim that it leads to greater retention.

The value of self-development

The conversation continued with a discussion about the value of participation.

Morven commented, ‘Personally, it’s about the confidence it will give me in my role, the satisfaction and boost to my morale. More than that, for me the programme is about stimulating innovation that could help improve productivity across the sector.’

‘Another benefit is that Scottish hospitality will gain and retain top talent, which is really important. Personally, what we are learning now can be easily taken back into our businesses and embedded into company culture as well.’

Morven continued, ‘Three other managers from my workplace are also on the course in different cohorts. Each week after we’ve completed a module, we discuss what we would like to bring into the company when we go back to work. And it’s been really interesting so far.  We’ve come up with pages and pages of ideas and we’re really excited to get back to work to share the ideas with our colleagues.’

Recognising how learning new skills can help you develop

We asked Kyle how being on the programme had challenged his thinking and what he would be taking back to his role.

Being able to exchange ideas with other people in the industry, and then share these with my colleagues and get a different perspective has been really beneficial.  Things are going to be different post-Covid and it’s reassuring to be part of discussions that address this.’

‘Participating has definitely made me think about my skills and strengths and the areas that I can work on and the ways I can implement what I’m learning to be a better manager and a better leader for my team. Being able to share the knowledge and learning from the programme will help to develop new strengths and skills within the business.’

The power of networking

With 2000 scholars, from every sector and job description taking part, the opportunity to make new contacts has been an added bonus.

Cassie was keen to emphasise the networking benefits of being part of the programme.

‘One of the things that’s coming across is that, due to Covid and furlough, there are a lot of vulnerable hospitality people out there, and this course is bringing us all together and helping us to collaborate and work together.

Cassie continued, ‘The sessions are well thought out, and very interactive. They’re really making us think as we go through various sessions that inspire trust between us. I’m linking with new people every week and making new connections, which is exciting.’

Building the resilience to manage and lead

One of the early modules focused on building resilience and examining those workplace events that can undermine it.

‘For me, it was about understanding the difference between composure and comfort, and optimism and positivity.’ Morven said, ‘You can have one without the other. It’s a virtuous circle. If you pretend you know what you’re doing, you know what you’re doing. It builds on itself, making you feel stronger and in control.’

Participants are challenged to identify where they feel resilient and given tools to build and maintain their personal resilience.

Taking news skills into the workplace

When hospitality in Scotland reopens, 2000 scholars will be ready and keen to try out their new skills in their working environment. Many will be faced with new working environments, new teams and working practices.  So, what are Morven, Kyle and Cassie taking back to the workplace?

‘Guest experience will be really important when we reopen, Kyle commented. The programme has already made me feel more confident about my abilities. I’m looking forward to sharing the skills and knowledge with my team, giving them the confidence to deliver great customer service.’

‘One take-away for me is how important it is as a manager to make sure my team is happy. I’m going to be more open with the team and give them the opportunity to be open with me so that we can support and learn from each other.

Cassie commented, ‘I’ve recently taken on an intern and putting into action what I’m learning has been great. Getting the communication right is so important and I can see that he is benefitting from the things I’m learning. It’s exciting to be able to be part of the programme.’

Morven agreed, ‘I’m really looking forward to completing the programme and to putting my new skills into action.  It’s made me think about teamwork and understand it’s not just me as a manager saying ‘right, this is what I think we’re going to do.’  It’s changed my thinking to considering how we can improve and having the confidence to ask others for their input, working in collaboration with my colleagues.’

A word about HITS

HITS was established in 1994 by industry leaders with the purpose of supporting tens of thousands of people working and studying in the hospitality industry in Scotland, to broaden their skills and experience, by taking advantage of tailored learning experiences offered through the HIT scholarship programme.

To find out more about the Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland’s Tourism and Hospitality Talent Development Programme visit: www.hitscotland.co.uk/talent-development-programme

 

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