Tourism businesses tap into top tips on talent

Tourism businesses from across Scotland have the opportunity this month to learn how best to tackle one of the industry's biggest challenges.

With significant recruitment and retention issues, Scotland's hospitality industry faces the challenge of replacing around 44 per cent of the industry's employees every year, almost double the average for other industries.

Jane Sunley, managing director of the UK's first talent retention specialist firm, learnpurple, will speak at Scottish Enterprise's Tourism Masterclass at Gleneagles Hotel on Wednesday 14 November 2007.

The aim of the Masterclass is to help Scotland's tourism industry discover original and creative methods of recruiting, training and retaining top talent and delivering service excellence through staff.

Eddie Brogan, head of the Scottish Enterprise Tourism Team, said: "The tourism industry in Scotland faces a big challenge to attract and keep good staff and reduce turnover rates. However it's important to realise it's not an issue peculiar to Scotland and that by sharing experience and knowledge we can improve the situation. This Masterclass is an opportunity for Scottish tourism businesses to listen to one of the UK's most highly respected speakers on the subject of talent retention and learn how to attract, develop and retain top talent."

The Attracting, Develop and Retaining Top Talent Masterclass is the first in series of three Scottish Enterprise Masterclasses planned over the coming four months.

Now widely recognised as an essential component of the enterprise agency's programme of support for Scotland's tourism sector, the classes are aimed at highlighting the burning issues facing the development and growth of the tourism industry in Scotland. Targeted at senior managers and owners from all areas of Scottish tourism, the series is a direct response to industry feedback.

A number of places for the forthcoming Masterclass remain. All events are hosted at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire. Commencing at 9.30am for 10.00am each session costs £85 and ends with a networking lunch at approximately 1pm.

Read information on previous Masterclasses held during 2006/2007

For more information or to book your place on 2007/2008 Masterclasses, visit our tourism events page or contact Katharine George at Starkevents on 0141 357 2235 or katharine@starkeventsuk.com