People 1st’s work to promote training excellence through a hospitality accreditation scheme is providing colleges with new commercial opportunities.
16 hospitality colleges now accredited
Since People 1st launched the accreditation scheme a year ago in association with the Hospitality Guild, 16 leading hospitality colleges have become accredited, reporting benefits that include increased revenue and higher quality applicants for courses. Four more colleges are also currently undergoing the accreditation process.
The scheme has been set up by skills and workforce development charity, People 1st, and promotes quality training to encourage more people to work in the industry. It also helps colleges benchmark themselves and identify opportunities for future growth.
The impact at New College Nottingham
Having been involved since its inception, New College Nottingham has recently reviewed the impact that the accreditation model has had on its business.
Dawn Whitemore, principal at the college, said accreditation has helped them target new commercial opportunities:
“Taking on board the feedback from the accreditation process and really exploring the potential of our restaurant has combined to generate a huge increase in our commercial activity.
“This is great from a financial point of view, but also means that our students are being exposed to a far wider range of people and getting a much broader experience because we’ve developed improved community links.”
The AA College Rosette
People 1st’s partnership with AA Hotel Services and the development of the AA College Rosette has also proven popular as these awards reflect industry standards in colleges’ realistic working environments.
New College Nottingham achieved an AA College Rosette Scheme for The Adams Restaurant and Brasserie, giving it an additional opportunity to showcase to employers how their teaching translates into practice:
“We’ve used our accredited status to help open doors when it comes to working with employers. Because our accredited status means the industry recognises that we train students in the skills employers need, we’ve been able to increase the number of employers we work with by 100 percent since we became accredited.
“What’s more, we have seen a significant increase in both the number and quality of students applying to study with us.”
‘Thrilled by the results so far’
Martine Pullen, director of operations at People 1st, said the success of the accreditation scheme is a reflection of the industry’s drive to fulfil its potential:
“When we launched the scheme we knew it was what the industry wanted and needed to show the great training and opportunities it offers new and existing staff. However, the results have exceeded our expectations.
“In this current climate, asking colleges to invest in a scheme like this can seem challenging, but the benefits of opening up to new commercial opportunities, attracting high-quality students and forging strong relationships with employers are things that cannot be ignored.
“We are thrilled by the results so far and we’re looking forward to delivering even more benefits to accredited organisations in the future.”
A complete case study on the impact that accreditation has had on New College Nottingham and further information on the scheme can be found on the Hospitality Guild website.
About People 1st
People 1st is the skills and workforce development charity for the hospitality, passenger transport, retail, leisure, travel, and tourism industries focusing on transforming skills in the sector through the development of world class qualifications in management and leadership, customer service and craft skills. The People 1st Training Company is focused on developing training products that meet the skills needs of employers in the industry.
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