Your education questions answered.
My son has expressed an interest in a career in the hospitality/tourism industry. However, I am insisting that he obtains a recognised qualification. I also have concerns about his job prospects and long-term career choices. Can you offer any advice?
The hospitality and tourism industry offers a wide variety of job opportunities, and there are currently over 8,000 vacancies at all levels in the sector. However, demand is highest for trained staff, so you are right to insist that your son obtains a qualification.
Fáilte Ireland is the new development authority for Irish tourism, and all the hospitality and tourism courses formerly run by CERT are now under its remit. The organisation offers flexible and varied training options to suit almost everyone. Courses are grant-aided and are held in Fáilte Ireland training centres and in third-level colleges and institutes of technology. The range of courses includes professional cookery, hospitality skills, bar skills, restaurant skills, tourism skills - and many more. The training leads to an EU-recognised qualification from FETAC.
Should your son wish to go on to study or train at a higher level, Fáilte Ireland recently announced that a number of their programmes were validated by HETAC, and will be introduced into a number of institutes of technology in the 2004/05 academic year. These are the National Diploma in Business Studies (Culinary Arts); National Diploma in Business Studies (Bar Management); National Certificate in Business Studies (Front Office Management) and the Trainee Manager Development Programme.
In terms of your son's long-term career aspirations, Fáilte Ireland says that during training students are offered encouragement and advice to plan their future and how to progress up the career ladder. The organisation advocates life-long learning and also offers a range of professional development programmes for people already working in the industry.
Don't forget that many of the skills your son can obtain on a Fáilte Ireland programme are extremely portable and will afford him the opportunity to travel, if he wishes. Finally, to address your concerns regarding your son's long-term job prospects in this sector, the Irish hospitality and tourism industry is forecast to remain a substantial employer into the foreseeable future and should continue to provide considerable job opportunities at all levels. The sector is currently worth €5 billion to the economy and is expected to grow further.
Fáilte Ireland recruits directly - not through the CAO - and is currently accepting applications for third-level programmes commencing in September 2004. For further details of these, and other education and training options, contact Fáilte Ireland's one-stop-shop for careers information - the People in Tourism Centre, Call save 1850-256-256. The centre is based at 88-95, Amiens Street, Dublin 1, and trained staff are on-hand to answer all your queries. You can also check out the Fáilte Ireland website at www.failteireland.ie
Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish-times.ie
