Possibilities of Use of ESF in Tourism

1. International conference CZ PRES – Tourism Industry Employment and Labour market challenges10-11 June 2009ESF for Tourism – Used Opportunities Possibilities of Use of ESF in Tourism Blažena Křížová Ministry for Regional Development –Department of Tourism www.mmr.cz

2. This way? Never !!!

3. European Social Fund • Programming period 2004-2006 (2008/09) • Operational Program Human Resources Development • Funding: 75% from ESF, 25% from the state budget, • Priority 4 • Measure 4.2 Specific Education 7 projects

4. Projects • Training and education of employees in tourism • Vocational training of public administration officials in tourism • Tourism information • Destination management and creation of products in tourism • Event marketing for tourism • Training for public territorial administration officials and employees in tourism in the conditions of tourism development in protected landscape areas • Improvement of the quality of vocational training and education in tourism

5. Project’s activities (Courses, seminars, training, publications, e-library) Some announced courses: • Sustainable development • Crisis management • Heritage care in relation to tourism • Tourism statistics • Destination promotion • Golf as a specific tourism activity

6. Project’s activities Next announced courses: • Practical activities of information centers, call centers and help line • Event Marketing MICE • Work with media in tourism • Marketing communication regarding destination • Local, national and international destination marketing • Strategic development of tourism destination

7. Project’s activities Summary: • A total of 68 educational programmes were created • 12 professional publications/textbooks • 1 teaching DVD was published in these 6 projects • A total of about 9 000 persons were trained (businessmen, employees, officers of public sector)

8. Project’s activities Project “Improvement of the quality of vocational training and education in tourism“ • To analyze and to map the current status of tourism education • To prepare comprehensive proposals and suggestions for introduction of an educational system in the tourism sector • To prepare a realistic proposal for the use of finances provided by Structural Funds for the tourism sector in schools, life-long and further education of employees and employers, including support for labour market development

9. Partial evaluations in tourism education: • Schools providing secondary education with a vocational training • Secondary schools and colleges • Universities • Public administration, regional and local self-administration • Life-long education and retraining • Tourist guides • Employment agencies in tourism • Employee unions, professional associations, trade unions in • tourism

10. Partial evaluations Summary: • 2,301 retraining entries were generated to the tourism category • 708 questionnaires were distributed among employers in the sector of hotels and similar facilities, travel bureaus and agencies, sports and other recreational services, cultural services • 12 ministries were analyzed; as regards regional, city and municipal authorities, the evaluation covered all 13 regional centers, including Prague, 50 cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, 20 cities with 5,000 to 20,000 inhabitants, 30 rural municipalities and 11 municipalities that are centers of tourism

11. Partial evaluations • Schools providing secondary education with a vocational training (249) • 121 secondary schools with generate certificate of education focusing on tourism and 18 colleges • 15 universities focused on tourism were generated out of the total number of 72 university-type schools in the Czech Republic Summary:

12. Conclusions Schools providing secondary education • Optimization of number of schools (creation of backbone network) • Increasing professional level of teachers and involvement of schools in further education of pedagogues • Development of practical training • Promotion of cross-border and international cooperation • Involvement of employers in further education of employees • Ensuring financial participation of employers in initial vocational training • Creation of teaching aids for specialized tourism-related subjects Establishment of a system for monitoring of labour market requirements • Creation of a life/long learning system • basic education programs • individual education

13. Conclusions Universities • Involvement of students in scientific research • Supplementing study programmes with compulsory practical training by cooperation with employers • Development of distance and combined forms of study • Preparation of further education courses for secondary school pedagogues • Creating a module-based solution of further education • Introduction of regular evaluation of universities by an independent entity

14. Present and future • Network of secondary schools, where courses for • teacher will take place • Recognition of partial qualifications in tourism • Solution for students, who couldn´t finish theirs studies at the secondary schools (hospitality and gastronomic services, and other specializations in tourism) and back to school

15. Use of results Cooperation with Czech TV: • Production of 18 episodes of an educational programme cycle • tourism • hotels, other accommodation types • gastronomy • travel bureaus and travel agencies • spa, wellness, rural tourism • guides, congress tourism, events, etc. • Production and broadcasting of a 10-part TV cycle designated for general public • Production and broadcasting of 3 TV spots

16. Thank you for your attention Blažena Křížová Ministry for Regional Development –Department of Tourism www.mmr.cz