Post by RESIDENTS TAUGHT TO BE POLITE on Dec 16, 2003 16:52:38 GMT -5
LIVERPOOL residents are to be taught how to be polite to welcome visitors to European Capital of Culture in 2008.
Research into skills gaps has found people working in the city most need to have customer care and communication training.
They will also need to improve their cultural awareness and language skills to be ready for 2008, the study by the Northwest Tourism Skills Network found.
Andrea Higginson, tourism skills coordinator who is compiling the ongoing report, said there is a general need across the city for better customer care training.
She said: "The impact of Capital of Culture has heightened the need for Merseyside to work on what is missing, it has made people more aware of the issues.
"We are expecting a considerable rise in the number of visitors to the city which will see a great expansion of the sector. This means existing skill issues will be magnified.
"Generally across the city there is a need for customer care training. Relating specifically to the win, cultural awareness will be an issue.
"An understanding of people's individual cultural needs will be necessary to ensure they feel welcome on their visits, as will a basic grasp of more common languages."
The study is being carried out as part of the SkillWorks training scheme, launched in the summer.
The £12.5m programme, run by the Learning and Skills Council with the support of the European Social Fund, is designed to meet the needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Greater Merseyside area.
SkillWorks funds 80pc of the cost of training and skills development, with firms needing to find the additional 20pc.
Ms Higginson added: "Another contributor to the skills gap is that traditionally SMEs don't have big training budgets.
"Therefore it is welcome news that they will only have to fund 20pc of the training through The SkillWorks."
A spokesman for 2008 organiser The Liverpool Culture Company said visitors to the city in 2008 would be properly welcomed.
He said: "One of the key aims of being Capital of Culture is to improve the quality of customer care in the city to ensure that when people visit the city for the first time in 2008 they will come back again and again.
"Our aim is to make the city a beacon for excellence in customer relations and will be a key plank in ensuring the tourism industry will be worth more than £1bn a year to the city and Merseyside by 2008.
"We will be giving visitors the famous Liverpool weLCOME...
ARE WE NOT POLITE ENOUGH.....
Research into skills gaps has found people working in the city most need to have customer care and communication training.
They will also need to improve their cultural awareness and language skills to be ready for 2008, the study by the Northwest Tourism Skills Network found.
Andrea Higginson, tourism skills coordinator who is compiling the ongoing report, said there is a general need across the city for better customer care training.
She said: "The impact of Capital of Culture has heightened the need for Merseyside to work on what is missing, it has made people more aware of the issues.
"We are expecting a considerable rise in the number of visitors to the city which will see a great expansion of the sector. This means existing skill issues will be magnified.
"Generally across the city there is a need for customer care training. Relating specifically to the win, cultural awareness will be an issue.
"An understanding of people's individual cultural needs will be necessary to ensure they feel welcome on their visits, as will a basic grasp of more common languages."
The study is being carried out as part of the SkillWorks training scheme, launched in the summer.
The £12.5m programme, run by the Learning and Skills Council with the support of the European Social Fund, is designed to meet the needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Greater Merseyside area.
SkillWorks funds 80pc of the cost of training and skills development, with firms needing to find the additional 20pc.
Ms Higginson added: "Another contributor to the skills gap is that traditionally SMEs don't have big training budgets.
"Therefore it is welcome news that they will only have to fund 20pc of the training through The SkillWorks."
A spokesman for 2008 organiser The Liverpool Culture Company said visitors to the city in 2008 would be properly welcomed.
He said: "One of the key aims of being Capital of Culture is to improve the quality of customer care in the city to ensure that when people visit the city for the first time in 2008 they will come back again and again.
"Our aim is to make the city a beacon for excellence in customer relations and will be a key plank in ensuring the tourism industry will be worth more than £1bn a year to the city and Merseyside by 2008.
"We will be giving visitors the famous Liverpool weLCOME...
ARE WE NOT POLITE ENOUGH.....
