Last updated 16:01, Wednesday, 23 July 2008

IT IS NO secret that the Cumbrian economy has been struggling to catch up to the rest of Great Britain due to pockets of deprivation, lack of skilled jobs, redundancies and the closing of the major manufacturing plants such as Corus.

This is why Cumbria Vision has been tasked with pulling together each element of the economy, from education to housing to employment and more, ensuring that we all work together to help Cumbria become more prosperous.

Obviously Cumbria has the Lake District, the Solway and other coastal areas which are areas of outstanding beauty and attract visitors from all over the country, if not the world. Cumbria can also boast great tourist attractions, such as Dove Cottage and the World of Beatrix Potter, Carlisle Castle and Tullie House, Muncaster Castle and Trotters World of Animals.

Due to the great foundation blocks we have to build on, it is no surprise that tourism is one of the main focuses of investment to help boost the economy. Cumbria attracts over 15 million visitors, spending over £34 million (based on figures from 2005) and that amount of revenue that can be brought in by tourism cannot be ignored.

At the college we are part of the education and training solution as, in order to fill jobs created by the expansion of the tourism industry, the county needs skilled sector experts. We run a very successful tourism department with tutors who have a wide scope of experience in the industry, having worked in a number of roles. These roles include travel agency management, holiday representative in Goa, cabin crew recruitment in Australia and tourism marketing, which included working with a Zulu tribe and the South African Beach Volleyball Championships. So it is true to say they have the first-hand experience to guide students through their training!

We also make sure the course is enriched with relevant trips, as one of the best things about working in the tourism industry is the travel involved and the different types of places you visit.

The most recent cohort visited London, (including seeing Footloose the musical and the London Dungeon), a tour of the P&O ship Aurora in Southampton and more local attractions like the Baltic Centre in Newcastle and the Beacon in Whitehaven.

The college also believes that external speakers can offer a great insight to the industry and have welcomed experts from companies such as British Airways and Cumbria Tourism in to their classes to give presentations. There are also a number of interesting specialisms students can choose, such as resort representative or a cabin crew option, which, if passed, results in an automatic interview with Thomas Cook Holidays and charter airlines BMI, Monarch and Thomas Cook.

We also recently hosted a Dragon’s Den style competition judged by local business men and women. The competition took place in partnership with A4E, who spoke to students about how to set up in business and write that all important business plan. A4E also put forward a cash prize of £200 for the best business plan. The winners were a group of tourism students whose plan to create an aquatic based tourist trail over roads and lakes garnered a great deal of interest from the businesses advisors and Dragons who truly felt the calibre of this entry was realistic and worth considering as a real business venture.

Tourism really is a hands-on subject that can take you places either within this county or worldwide, travelling all over the globe, working in roles such as tourism development, event management and hotel operations. So for those of you who haven’t decided what to do yet, are you ready for the challenge?