The summer season is rapidly approaching and we are aware you will all be getting, or already are, very busy!!  Recent press reports indicate that the UK holiday industry is thriving and staycasions are continuing to be very popular!  Good news for all of us in the Hospitality sector.

We wanted to take this opportunity to let you know what has been happening and how we can potentially help you with your future training requirements.

NFET Team

We are conscious that now Stella has left us you might not be too sure of who to contact with regards to your queries or future training requirements so we have attached a photo of the team with Stella (who as you can see is bottom left of the photo) so you can put a face to an email or voice on the telephone 01637 871067…

NVQ Packages

We have nearly reached the end of our very successful Competitive Edge Hospitality packages which started last Autumn.  All but a few of the learners have now achieved their NVQ certificates and associated accredited certificates incorporated within the packages.  Congratulations to all those establishments that took part and encouraged staff to undertake the training.  The feedback from everyone has been phenomenal!

We would like to thank everyone for their cooperation in allowing the assessors access to their premises and allowing the staff to take time out to attend the workshops, one day courses and masterclasses.

We hope, following the success of the packages this year, that we will be in the position to continue them next year under the new round of Convergence ESF funding.

Welcome to Cornwall

NfET and South West Tourism recently collaborated in developing a new course for Cornwall Hospitality businesses called Welcome to Cornwall. The course is now part of the Welcome to Excellence suite of courses which includes; Welcome Host, Welcome Host Plus, Welcome All, Welcome E Business and Welcome International.

NfET launched the course at Newquay International Airport on 25th March this year where we delivered the course to Airport staff and since then (excuse the pun!) it has flown around Cornwall and been delivered to some of our most prestigious hotels, gardens and attractions and lots of other diverse types of accommodation providers.  The course is a blend of Customer Service knowledge/techniques and Cornwall destination marketing.  Finding out what Cornwall has to offer the differing types of visitors it attracts and how to add value to their stay.

The course has been extremely well received and if you would like further information on potential ‘in house’ courses or general dates available, please do not hesitate to contact Claire.

Certificated Training

We continue to run our other training courses such as; Food Safety, Health & Safety, First Aid, Door Supervisor training etc and these can be delivered ‘in house’ if you have a sufficient number of staff, or please do not hesitate to contact us for further details and dates of general courses running.

And finally……

We will continue to email you updates on what training we can offer you, funded or otherwise, and look forward to continuing our long standing relationship with you.

If you wish to contact us our details are as above or you can now use Twitter – you can tweet us @ nfetltd

Kind regards

The NfET Team

Tuesday 8 June – Hotel Penzance – 10am to 5pm

Tuesday 15 June – Newquay – 0930am to 4:30pm

Wednesday 16 June – Bodmin – 09:30am to 4:30pm

Tuesday 22 June – Bude – 09:30am to 4:30pm

For eigibility then please contact claireevans@nfet.co.uk

The Newquay First loyalty and discount scheme, designed to encourage residents to support local businesses is a year old this month and celebrating sustained success.

The scheme, set up by the joint forces of Newquay Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, Newquay’s Town Centre Manager, Tourism Newquay, Newquay For Excellence Training and Twenty-Twenty Marketing, has not just benefitted local residents.  It has also meant participating businesses become eligible for free and discounted staff training.

So far over 100 businesses have signed up for the scheme – 70% of those taking advantage of the training opportunities – and more than ten thousand residents are enjoying the discount.

The Newquay First initiative is part of the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) Cornwall Cluster Project which is financed by ESF (European Social Fund) Convergence money and supported by the Learning Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The aims of the project are to develop sustainable cluster groups responsive to local need, support the learning and skills needs of individual businesses, promote the benefits of a better trained workforce to employers and up skill the workforce in partnership with training providers and the Skills Brokerage Service.

In Newquay the scheme is being managed by Newquay for Excellence Training and specifically targets small independent businesses. It takes the form of a loyalty card. Each business involved displays a sticker and cardholders have the opportunity to take advantage of special offers – most of which include discounts and which change on a regular basis.

Director of Newquay for Excellence Training, Gill Moore, said: “We needed an angle to encourage businesses to get involved with training so the loyalty cards’ scheme was used as a hook.

“It has been hugely beneficial on many levels and has enabled a number of organisations to work more closely together.  That has resulted in a more coordinated effort which means businesses get the right support at the right time.”

Gill explained that all training connected to Newquay First is either provided or facilitated by Newquay for Excellence Training and tailored to meet the needs of each specific business. It is financed by ESF Convergence.

Varnals Opticians is just one of the Newquay businesses involved in the loyalty scheme and has offered various discounts to local residents since the card launched.

Manager Kate Bright said: “A lot of customers have benefited, and I’m currently on an NVQ course in Management as a result, so it’s really good news all round.”

Andy Weir, Chairman of Newquay Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, said: “There are two sides to this scheme: the training side, which is always a good thing and it is European money which is being used so if the town doesn’t grab hard it will go somewhere else; and the cards, which encourage people to shop in the town and support local traders.

“With the current economic climate, anything you can do to boost trade in the town can’t be bad. It’s a win-win.”

ESF Director for the LSC South West, Mark Williams, said: “Newquay First is a great scheme. It benefits small independent businesses and residents through the loyalty card, it supports the sustainability and viability of the town and through the training programmes it is improving the skills of the local workforce, which extends employment opportunities and in the long term creates a better future for Cornwall.”