Skills
The European Union remains the world's No 1 tourist destination.
In order to keep this position we need to continuously improve the quality of our services.
This requires, amongst other things, good training in hospitality and motivated, knowledgeable staff.
The adaptation of our tourism activity to globalisation and new market demands needs to be accompanied by a stepping-up of efforts to improve the professional skills of workers in the sector. Particular emphasis has to be put on their adaptation to new technologies and customer expectations, and encouraging their mobility.
Strengthening the quality of services provided and raising skills and competence levels in the tourism sector to a higher level will stimulate competitiveness and enhance cross border mobility of workers.
The European Commission has a short, medium and long term agenda to contribute to this objective.
Short term - EURES
In the short term the Commission will create a hospitality sector dedicated section in EURES, the EU Job Mobility Portal.
The aim is to have a unified on-line platform for the hospitality sector that will allow employers to assess the skills and experiences of job candidates from their own and other EU countries, facilitate a better match of supply and demand on the labour market for the hotel and restaurant sector and thus enhance mobility of workers.
Medium term – make best use of existing programmes
In the medium term we are discussing integration of tourism-specific initiatives in the EC funding programmes for training, such as the Lifelong Learning Programme (including Erasmus, Comenius, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig), and 'Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs'. Awareness of the initiatives among stakeholders and workers of the sector will be promoted.
Furthermore, sector specific developments in the common European frameworks such as the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), Europass and the European Credit System for VET (ECVET) will be closely monitored.
Long term – Tourism Skills Competences framework
In the longer term the Commission is envisaging to develop a Tourism Skills Competences Framework, depending on the active involvement of our stakeholders.
This framework is to be created in different phases:
- A first stage during which the skills currently required by the tourism sector are being identified. In cooperation with DG EMPL - in the framework of ESCO (European Skills/Competences, Occupations, and Qualifications) - a structured model of the Skills/Competences needed and their relations with Occupations in the sector is being developed. The reference group for the Accommodation and Food service activities has already been set up. By the end of 2012 a first version of this classification is expected, the final revised list is awaited by mid 2014. A description of certificates and qualifications as well as relationships between skills/competences and the qualifications will also be established.
- The supply-side assessment will follow in a second phase to evaluate the skills available on the market as the outcome of education or training.
- Finally, policy responses will be suggested to close potential gaps identified between the two sides and improve cooperation between academics and industry.
