Managing Human Capital in leisure, tourism & hospitality in times of COVID-19
Last month, our Programme Manager Guido Aerts had the privilege to be a guest in the break-out space Human Capital during the Dutch national Tourism Summit 2020.
For crying out loud: nationwide internship/traineeship pact
One of the big problems we identified for the leisure, tourism & hospitality (LTH) sector was the concern about the issues organisations and educational institutes experience in terms of sending their employees and students on internships during COVID-19. We should try to conquer this bad development on all levels with shared responsibility and a shared approach. Guido advocates for a nationwide internship/traineeship pact.
Why the cry?
- The LTH sector was already having staffing problems before COVID-19;
- The LTH sector cannot allow or accept that a whole annual tranche of students is blocked from developing professional skills or the ability to graduate;
- The LTH sector and the educational institutes need to keep the student numbers up or even improve the upcoming years;
- During COVID-19, with its connected cash problems, organisations can use (even with reduced capacity) extra, cheap, hands and brains on the job;
- During COVID-19 the entrepreneurs are confronted with higher absentee numbers because of sick leave: replacement issues everywhere;
- More senior staff members can be asked to help coach during spare time when available.
What would it take to make this pact work and be successful?
Collaboration between the education and the sector on a regional/local level is necessary. Customisation is key. Thereby, the government should allocate some of the money available to address the effects of COVID-19 for this pact. This could be done by allowing every intern/trainee a fixed compensation of € 200,00 per month. This way the sector does not have to carry the financial burden.