World Host Day - Tourism & Hospitality Training for Schools at Johnstons of Elgin

Moray Chamber of Commerce has recently played a proud role in enhancing relationships and assisting in the organisation of a unique two day WorldHost course displaying key partnerships between Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), local businesses and education.

The course saw over 75 pupils from across Moray’s 9 secondary schools group together to receive the same high quality training that was also provided for all the volunteers of the 2012 Olympics. The training the students received had previously reached over 1million people worldwide and therefore offered a skillset with international recognition. This particular event was aimed at students who showed an interest in the Tourism and Hospitality industry.

This project also gave Moray Chamber of Commerce the opportunity to join forces with the two entities under their auspices; Moray Speyside Tourism (MST) and DYW to create an enterprising, community engaging programme.

The two day course was very generously supported by Johnstons of Elgin alongside DYW and MST. The training instilled key customer service standards which are integral to employers within the Tourism and Hospitality industry. With this qualification being obtained already by over 10% of Scotland’s Tourism workforce, it is a recognised CV booster that should support the young people regardless of the industry they choose to work in. Willie Wood, HR Director of Johnstons of Elgin mentioned that “Whilst WorldHost training is aimed at the tourism and service sector, any candidate who has this on their CV will be of interest to a potential employer.  This is not just because of the quality of the training, but will also recognise their initiative in undertaking the training in the first place. “

WorldHost training has been extensively rolled-out in the area in partnership with MST. Elgin has already grasped WorldHost destination status with the rest of Moray hot on its heels. The Moray Economic Partnership is encouraging the initiative across Moray to achieve WorldHost Regional Destination status, to go hand in hand with both international trade and tourism links. Moray Chamber of Commerce continues to support its members in the development of key skills and partnerships such as this, for the enhancement of business both locally and internationally.