New tourism skills programme for Rugby World Cup

9 June 2009

Media Release

New tourism skills programme for Rugby World Cup

Exhibitors at TRENZ 2009 are being asked to provide feedback on planning for a new essential skills training programme, which is due to be launched in October this year.

The programme was announced at TRENZ today by Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Chief Executive Tim Cossar. It is being developed with funding from the the Ministry of Tourism and in partnership with the Services Industries Training Alliance (SITA).

The essential skills programme will be the recognisable entry standard certificate for employees working with visitors and will be linked to unit standards on the National Qualifications Framework.

It will provide employers with the support they need to help them train and retain people who can deliver a distinctive New Zealand world-class visitor experience.

“This new programme is aimed at establishing a people legacy that will provide lasting benefits to the tourism industry,” TIA Chief Executive Tim Cossar says.
“It is also aimed at ensuring when major events such as the Rugby World Cup 2011 take place, we have the people available with the right skills across our service industries to ensure a high quality, unique New Zealand visitor experience.”

“Visitors are vitally important to New Zealand’s economy. The tourism, hospitality and broader service sector relies on people with the right skills and attitude to deliver a world-class experience to visitors and customers,” Mr Cossar says.

The aim is to have between 5,000 and 10,000 trainees complete the programme in the first two years. It will include approximately 3 months training with most of the training delivered ‘on-job’. An ‘off job’ component will also be delivered nationally by providers appointed through a tender process.

More details will be announced in late June. For further information or to provide feedback on the programme, go to www.esproject.co.nz

TRENZ 2009 is showcasing 270 leading New Zealand tourism operators to 260 international travel and tourism buyers, as well as 60 international and local media representatives. It is taking place at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds, 8-11 June.
TRENZ 2009 is managed by TIA as agent of the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust and in partnership with Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand and other industry supporters. The Ministry of Tourism is also a major supporter of TRENZ 2009. For more information, visit www.trenz.co.nz .

Key Facts
• Tourism contributes close to 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) for New Zealand

• Tourism directly and indirectly employs nearly one in ten New Zealanders (this includes 108,100 FTE directly and 73,100 FTE indirectly).

• Tourism in New Zealand is a $50 million per day industry. Tourism delivers $24 million in foreign exchange to the New Zealand economy each day of the year. Domestic tourism contributes another $26 million in economic activity every day.

• Total tourism expenditure reached $20.1 billion for the year ended March 2007. International visitor expenditure accounted for $8.8 billion or 18.3% of New Zealand’s foreign exchange earnings.

Visit www.tianz.org.nz for more information.

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