Rural Tourism Undergraduate Placements Scheme

Rural tourism businesses in Lancashire have benefited from a 3 year special paid placement scheme which finished in July 2008.

Offered through LCDL, working in partnership with the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board (LBTB), this three year pilot scheme placed 26 undergraduates from Lancashire (or attending a Lancashire University) who were following tourism or marketing related courses in year long placements with tourism businesses.

For the first three months of their placement, the students worked in the marketing section of an established Lancashire tourism business. Here, they were able to learn practical marketing skills to enhance the marketing knowledge that they had gained on their courses. For the second nine months placement, the students used their marketing skills and knowledge to assist rural tourism businesses or groups of such businesses, to prepare and to implement marketing strategies and activities.

Many of the students were offered additional employment by their placement providers when their placement period with LCDL came to an end. The links that the students developed with Lancashire tourism businesses and their experience of working in the county has encouraged the students to remain in the area to gain employment in tourism locally, once they have completed their education.

This project was Highly Commended in the National Council for Work Experience Awards 2007/08. It received funding support from the Lancashire Rural Tourism Initiative, which was funded through the Lancashire Rural Recovery Action Plan supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency and Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board.

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GCSE Tourism Placements

This initiative, in partnership with Lancashire Education Business Partnership, helps to address the skills shortage within the tourism sector by encouraging young people to choose a career within the sector and giving them preliminary skills and education. Linking work experience with the GCSE syllabus is providing students with a more coherent experience and a better understanding of the occupations and choices available.

The project also benefits employers within the sector by providing access to potential employees who are capable of gaining qualifications to GCSE standard and above. In total, tailored work experience placements will be provided for 1,200 students studying the new GCSE in Leisure & Tourism over three years.

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