OVER the past two years, the Tourism industry has faced numerous challenges, with one of the most severe being the staffing crisis.

Cumbria Tourism has been diligently working on behalf of and in partnership with its members to promote the industry to people of all ages as a fantastic sector to join.

The team at CT has been promoting careers to young people in primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, and adults seeking employment.

Cumbria Tourism’s recruitment work largely involves distributing information about various career pathways within the industry and showcasing excellent opportunities, such as apprenticeships and the University of Cumbria's chartered manager degree apprenticeship in the visitor economy.

This enables individuals to secure paid employment while receiving training in a trainee manager position.

There is no financial burden on the students, and upon completion, they will not only attain a degree but also embark on a rewarding and engaging career with the company that sponsored their course.

Additional opportunities in the tourism industry include a range of culinary roles at different levels, such as chefs and kitchen staff, as well as front-of-house staff, managers, marketing/PR professionals, digital experts, accountants, tour guides, outdoor instructors, spa therapists, and even bus drivers.

Certain hotels provide live-in vacancies, allowing individuals who do not reside locally to also live onsite.

Cumbria Tourism will soon be launching their Tourism Talent Hub, a website created in partnership with Lakes College, Carlisle College, Kendal College, Furness College and University of Cumbria.

The website will showcase real people and their careers, why they love their job and why it’s a great career to go into. To sign up to the mailing list visit https://www.tourismtalenthub.co.uk/

Cumbria Tourism has also undertaken research to gather the perspectives of businesses for the Local Skills Improvement Plan, an initiative led by Cumbria Chamber of Commerce. This has provided valuable insights into the industry's skills requirements for the future talent pipeline.

In partnership with the education sector, Cumbria Tourism has started to share its findings to aid the development of courses offered by colleges and other training providers.

More recently Cumbria Tourism has held a meeting at Carlisle College to discuss the requirements of the visitor economy in more detail and shape future courses for the visitor economy.

CT has been actively collaborating with various partners to promote the tourism sector. These partners include the Department for Work & Pensions, Inspira, Centre for Leadership Performance, Cumbria Careers Hub, and Furness Education & Skills Partnership. Through these partnerships, Cumbria Tourism strives to inspire and encourage more individuals to pursue opportunities within the tourism industry.