People 1st confirms cuts in catering education next year

A funding crisis is looming for catering education, according to Brian Wisdom, chief executive of hospitality skills council People 1st​.

He said that funding would be down on all hospitality-related courses as the government seeks to rationalise public spending. College-based courses are likely to be hit particularly hard, because whichever government is in power next year is likely to favour apprenticeships and other work place-based learning courses.

To free up funding People 1st – though not in direct control of how much money educators get – will be more selective of the courses it supports, and this could ultimately lead to numerous courses being dropped.

“Many courses will be under threat if they’re not delivering what employers need. The number of courses available at the moment is too high. We want to make sure there are no reductions on the courses that matter. We won’t be defending the corner of programs that have no employer need,” said Wisdom.

The future of the BTEC National Diploma is in particular doubt, as is the viability of some college’s training restaurants. The news follows last month’s report that taught hours were to be cut on several hospitality courses in 2010.

“Despite a lack of funding, the hospitality courses we are championing, like the new VRQs and Hospitality Diplomas, are top-class products that meet the requirements of employers,” he said.

People 1st is half way through reforming the UK’s hospitality qualifications. By late 2010, Wisdom said the industry would have a coherent qualifications strategy that takes people through schools, colleges and into the work place.