Tourism Reskilling
About
Tourism is one of the largest employers in the province and is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, creating demand for jobs. However, the current pool of available labour is not expected to keep up, creating a gap between the number of jobs that would be supported by potential spending, and the number of jobs that will be filled.
This project will identify training required in rural tourism destinations that have a high potential to expand their tourism industry but face unemployment or low workforce participation. The project will then deliver that training to employees and to individuals that are unemployed and require retraining to work in the tourism sector, or who have dropped out of the labour force but desire to work in tourism. It will adapt existing training opportunities to meet the needs of the destination and allow learners to acquire the tourism skills needed to work competently, safely, and productively.
Primary Research Question
Will reskilling for tourism allow unemployed workers from non-tourism industries to enter the tourism labour force and support the development and expansion of a destination’s tourism product offering?
Who
Research led by Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL), in partnership with Tourism HR Canada.
Where
Research to be conducted within communities across Newfoundland and Labrador.
When
January 2018 – November 2022 *This research project is completed.
Research Project Deliverables
Emerging evidence shows that workers who are displaced from their jobs or facing disruption have many skills to fill existing roles. However, barriers such as the lack of tailored support starting with (?) reskilling from non-tourism sectors may be preventing transitions in tourism occupations.
Through the development of the Tourism Reskilling for Non-Tourism Sector Workers research project, the partners worked to develop new learning models and identify job pathways to connect displaced workers, newcomers, income support clients, disabled workers and older workers with employers experiencing talent gaps in several destinations in the province. The goal was to reach, engage, empower and support unemployed individuals facing barriers to employment with a safe, flexible and supportive space to reskill with professional training opportunities, self-directed learning and on the job development with tourism operators, as they explore their livelihood potential in rural communities in the province.
Click here to read the Tourism Reskilling for Non-Tourism Sector Workers Final Report
This slide deck was presented at a Stakeholder Briefing on January 11, 2023.
This video was presented at the NL Workforce Innovators Roundtable 2021 on October 5.
