Careers Brief - Tourism & Hospitality Management FdA

Overview

The Tourism industry (travel, leisure and entertainment, accommodation, catering and transport) is one of the largest in the UK with excellent career prospects. It is a growing and fast-moving, customer-orientated environment. For success you would need to be mobile, adaptable and prepared to work flexible hours. These can be long and often unsocial.

Your course provides the knowledge and training to develop effective business management skills and competencies. Key personal skills such as: team work, social people skills, effective verbal communication and negotiating, IT, problem solving and financial awareness.

These skills provide you with an excellent portfolio for a variety of careers both inside and outside this sector. You would improve your employment prospects by gaining appropriate work experience.

Hospitality is one of the fastest-growing, job-creating sectors in the UK and abroad, offering the opportunity of an international career with rapid progression at managemet level in hotels, restaurants, pubs, clubs, bars, contract catering, hospitality services within other organisations or self-employment.

The tourism sector offers a wide range of job opportunities.

Job titles include:

tourism marketing officer, tour leader/trek leader, travel consultant, travel agency manager, tour operator resort representative, tour operator product manager, tour operator contracts manager, tour operator product development co-ordinator, tourist information centre manager, events manager or sales executive, attractions sales and marketing administrator,

public relations officer, hotel marketing executive, arts administrator, conference organiser, lifestyle consultant, magazine journalist, FE college lecturer, catering manager, retail manager, Human Resources/Training officer, passenger service agents, airline and airport management, ferry or cruise manager and many others.

Go to the website links below to find out more.

To consider a wider choice of careers (matched to your interests) use Prospects Planner and other tools listed in the Career Planning section of this Careers Guide.

Further Study

You will be able to apply for a top-up degree. Top-up degrees are designed as a direct progression from Foundation degree to achieve an Ordinary or Honours degree, though entry may be selective.

Alternatively, you could transfer onto a related Honours degree course. Entry point would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses but could be the final year.

As a Foundation graduate, you may progress onto a Top-up degree or enter the final year of an Honours degree at Bournemouth University.

Go to http://onlineservices.bournemouth.ac.uk/courses/ for information on the BA (Hons) International Hospitality & Tourism Management Top-up course and other Tourism and Hospitality top-ups.

Other institutions offering Top-ups with Hospitality Management and Tourism, include:

Manchester Metropolitan University; Middlesex University; Northumbria University; Norwich City College of Further & Higher Education; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Sunderland.

For additional institutions offering Tourism top-ups go to the Tourism Management Course Brief.

To search degree courses go to www.ucas.com/ (UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK). Use the university/college links for course details.

You will need to use UCAS to apply for courses. Contact the Course Tutor of your chosen course to find out your position, before you make your formal application.

Find out how much this will cost you. Where is the funding coming from? Go to the university/college website for information on course costs and finance and to www.direct.gov.uk/uni/ for additional help with student support.

With a good Honours degree (First or 2.1), you could progress onto an appropriate higher level Masters and/or PhD doctorate. This could be to develop your area of study to a more in-depth practical and/or academic level or to gain other specialist training.

For information on postgraduate study, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/study.htm .

Go to the main section Further Study of this Guide for more information and help.

Useful Links

http://careerscope.springboarduk.net

Springboard UK promoting careers in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism

www.uksp.co.uk/CareerMap.aspx

People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for the hospitality, leisure, tourism and related industries

www.ukskillspassport.com/

www.prospects.ac.uk/starting_out.htm

Graduate Prospects - national careers website for HE students studying in the UK:

Drop down 'Job sectors' to click on 'Hospitality, tourism and sport'

Drop down ‘Jobs’ and click on ‘Types of jobs’ for 'Hospitality and events management' + 'Leisure, sport and tourism'

Drop down ‘Jobs' and click on ‘What jobs would suit me?’ to use Prospects Planner.

www.guidance-research.org/future-trends/hospitality/

Warwick Institute for Employment Research - Hospitality sector

www.instituteofhospitality.org/

Institute of Hospitality - professional body for managers (and aspiring managers) working in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries

www.bha.org.uk/

British Hospitality Association

http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice

GTI Media publication for graduate jobs and careers advice

http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/

Government Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on side-heading 'Careers' and choose a category or type in job title.

http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/

Government Careers Advice service - click on 'Sport, Leisure and Tourism'

www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u

Jobs4U Careers Database - click on sub-heading ‘Job Families & Articles’ for occupations in ‘Catering and Hospitality’ ‘Leisure, Sport and Tourism’

www.itt.co.uk/

The Institute of Travel & Tourism - representing individuals employed in the travel and tourism industry

www.abta.com/

The Travel Association

www.tmi.org.uk/

Tourism Management Institute - the destination management section of the Tourism Society

www.tourismsociety.org/

The Tourism Society - professional membership body for people working in all sectors of travel and tourism