inofor – institute for innovation in training

Inofor – Institute for Innovation in Training

INOFOR

SKILLS TRENDS AND TRAINING NEEDS

IN PORTUGAL’S TOURISM SECTOR

Teresa Gaspar

Vera Beleza

www.inofor.pt

The situation in Portugal:

• It is imperative that Portugal has an up-to-date, comprehensive knowledge infrastructure on the skills that are needed to boost the country’s competitiveness and employment, just as other European countries (UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Nordic countries), the US and Canada have.

• INOFOR (a public agency answerable to Portugal’s Ministry for Social Security & Labour) was charged with undertaking studies and developing tools that would help anticipate skills and training needs and identify trends.

Inofor – Institute for Innovation in Training

Project : Skills Trends and Training Needs Diagnosis

INOFOR’S project: Skills Trends & Training Needs Diagnosis

It’s purpose:

•To identify occupational profiles and forecast training needs for each activity sector

•To construct training standards, for each target group and in line with national priorities, and to develop a national skills repertoire


Stakeholders:

• Training policymakers, training provider organisations and trainers, industrial associations and trade unions, labour market regulators, employers and employees;

• Input from all these players is called for at different stages (e.g. technical validation of training standards) of the studies, because they play an important role in the social and economic recognition of the system and the skills ultimately produced


The studies carried out are based on:

A social methodology

A technical methodology


Social methodology:

• The project sets up and develops a “knowledge network” that connects stakeholders*, resources and activities, and brings together sector and occupation related knowledge that is current, diversified, and socially and economically useful;

*enterprises, industrial associations, trade unions, occupational associations, educational and vocational training establishments,

technology centres, sector experts, etc.


Technical methodology:

• Demarcation and organisation of the Sector/Activity (pinpointing the precise area to be studied and organising sub-sectors according to different approaches: Classification of Economic Activities, Clusters, Value Chain, Productive Process, type of product end-use, type of raw material used, others)

[methods used: statistical data, other studies on the sector, meetings with specific social players]


Technical methodology:

• The Sector’s socio-economic profile (national and international perspectives, analysis of corporate strategies relating to markets, products, technologies and organisation, leading to identification of strategic groups of enterprises)

[methods used: documentary research; analysing statistical data; interviewing experts; meeting specific social players; selecting enterprises for case-study and carrying out case study work];

• Analysis of employment and its qualitative and quantitative evolution (new jobs; increases and decreases in occupations; changing job content and skills), and identification of the main influencing factors

[methods used: documentary research (employment standards, etc.), interviews with specialists; meetings with specific social players; case-study interviews];


Technical methodology :

• Long-term Sector scenarios (10-year forecasts)

Examining contingencies and variables, and what the sector could or should be in the medium-term future

Anticipating corporate and employment behaviour in relation to different contexts and specific sector variables

[methods used: documentary research (sector trends...); identifying and interviewing experts; scenario methodology, etc.]


Technical methodology :

Occupational Profiles

- Identification and anticipation of skills requirements- Broadening and enriching profiles- Professional mobility, exploring inter-sector capacities- Forward-looking and dynamic profiles

[methods used: empirical analysis of occupations; appraisal of profiles with sector’s social partners]

Training needs diagnosis and proposals for changes to training provision

- Attracting and skilling young people- Retraining workers- Injecting/attracting high value-added skills

[methods used: examining currently available VET in the light of the occupational profiles created].


In 2002, INOFOR’s “Skills Trends and Training Needs Diagnosis” project started work on the Tourism Sector study. The study covered accommodation, catering, entertainment/attractions, distribution, etc. and is intended to provide key referential data on skills identification and anticipation, as well as a diagnosis of the sector’s training needs.

Tourism Sector Study:


Portugal’s Tourism SectorPortugal’s Tourism Sector

Travel operators/providers

Attractions

Tourist Destination Operators

National, regional, local tourism institutions, etc.

Tourism Operators;

Travel Agents

Transport

Accommodation

Catering

Cultural

services

Entertainment, sports and leisure

services

Other Activities


• In Accommodation and Catering, we found that no major changes had affected the occupations, skills and various areas of activity. When employee skills changes did exist, they were found to be closely associated with the type of tourism/product concerned (rural tourism, golf, activity,

health and fitness, etc...).



• Major changes were found in the following areas:

1. Distribution (travel operators), where there is a growing tendency to separate travel design from travel sales activities, and create holiday consultancy departments, and this is impacting on workers’ skills:

- Tourism Operators:Skills needs in market analysis and mass/tailored travel product

design;

- Travel AgentsSkills needs in customer relations, building customer loyalty and

travel organisation



2. Recreational and Leisure activities (important role in offsetting the effects of sector’s seasonality, enhancing the appeal of regions, and diversifying existing products):

- Skills needs in the use of the suppliers’ network and in designing package products, and in defining and implementing marketing strategies and promoting them in different contexts (cultural, sports/activity, casinos, cultural spaces, hotel units).



3. Central and Local Administration authorities activities ( impact on sector policy-making and regulation, and their links with players and activities associated, directly or indirectly, with the tourism sector):

- Skill needs in facilitation, promotion, territorial marketing, environmental policy, history, culture, handicrafts, gastronomy.



• While this study was underway, a Protocol was devised for strategic workforce development planning for the Tourism Sector.

• Public bodies working in the area of VET (INOFOR, DGVC, IEFP, INFTUR, Ministry of Science & Technology and Higher Education), as well as representatives of industrial associations and trade unions, were all involved in designing the Strategic Plan.

Strategic workforce development planning Strategic workforce development planning for the Tourism Sectorfor the Tourism Sector


- To structure training provision in order to meet the current and future training needs that have been identified for tourism activity

- To sustainably improve workforce skills standards- To increase transparency and mobility of qualifications on the

employment market through professional certification, based on skills and qualification standards.

An outside consultancy firm, using its own interactive learning based methodology, was hired to energise and mediate in the process. Participative working techniques are applied, using individual and group reflection.

Objectives of the Plan:


The first step in strategic reflection on the tourism sector was an appraisal of the current situation and training provision (initial and continuing, public and private sector training), so that a diagnosis could be reached. Next, on the basis of the diagnosis, the proposals for changes

and the identified trends (for sector development, ICTs and training provision), various strategic options were defined, in accordance with what the group had decided were priority areas, resulting in a 3-year and a 10-year strategic vision.

The process will conclude with the definition of action plans by enterprises (currently underway), which will be submitted to the different government departments (Ministry for Social Security and labour, Education Ministry, Ministry of the Economy, and Ministry of Science & Technology and Higher Education).

Stages of the Strategic Plan:


3-year Strategic Vision:

Some of the broader needs:- Better articulation between relevant government

departments/ministries- Harmonisation of the training provided by different operators

on the basis of a multiannual action plan (to be devised)- Widespread use of ICTs achieved using classroom instruction

and online learning- Development of training standards endorsed by the system

that must be met by all training operators- Development of sector specific teaching aids/material - Improved system of recognition, validation and certification of

academic and vocational skills

Achievements so far


Some specific needs:

Initial training:- Adoption of Level III as the minimum qualification standard- Maintaining territorial coverage of initial training provision,

matching it to regional needs

Continuing training:- Structuring training provision in line with demand and skills,

and lessening emphasis on generalised training- Greater enterprise involvement/responsibility in further training

and re-training programmes

Achievements so far


Achievements so far:

10-year Strategic Vision:

- Making Level III a prerequisite standard for accessing tourism-related occupations

- Articulation of formal and non-formal learning in an open and flexible curricular model, which allows for mobility between the different training systems

- Development of a “skills portfolio” for all workers in the sector


Some Tourism indicators for PortugalSome Tourism indicators for Portugal

• Tourism related activities employ an estimated 10% of Portugal’s workforce. Just as in other economic activity areas, low skills and academic attainment also predominate in the tourism sector. Most workers acquire their know-how by learning at the workplace.


Some Tourism indicators for Portugal

1999 2000 2001 Origin: Europe 3.1 3.0 3.0 Origin: Southern Europe 9.8 9.6 9.6 Origin: Rest of world 1.8 1.7 1.8

Portugal’s market share:

Arrivals of Foreign Visitors

(source: Direcção Geral do Turismo, 2002)


Portugal’s market share:

Tourism Revenues

Some Tourism indicators for Portugal

1999 2000 2001 Origin: Europe 2.1 2.2 2.4 Origin: Southern Europe 6.4 6.7 6.9 Origin: Rest of world 1.1 1.1 1.2 (source: Direcção Geral do Turismo, 2002)


Thank you for your attention!

[email protected]@inofor.gov.pt

[email protected]

www.inofor.pt

inofor – institute for innovation in training

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