New online course is designed to prepare hospitality staff for next year’s sporting event
BAR, restaurant and hotel staff in Glasgow are to be offered a helping hand in getting to grips with the city’s major attractions and events ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games.
Set to go live in early November, the “Glasgow Welcomes” online training course is designed to help staff learn more about Glasgow’s attractions and the major events taking place in the city, including the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The course, which costs £5 per head, is said to take around two hours to complete. Participants will be given a test at the end of the programme and successful candidates will receive a certificate and a Glasgow Welcomes lapel badge upon completion.
The Glasgow Welcomes course was designed by hospitality training firm Flow Training for the Glasgow Tourism Service Initiative (GTSI).
The course is designed to help tourism industry staff offer up-to-date advice on what there is to see and do in the city.
Ben Goedegebuure, chairman of GTSI and sales director at the SECC, said Glasgow will be “in the global spotlight like never before”.
“Our customer service must be world class to ensure they go home with a great story to tell their friends and family,” he said.
“Visitors will remember and share the positive moments that our hospitality and tourism staff deliver.
“We have to ensure that a visitor’s entire journey, whether they’re staying, eating, drinking, travelling or sight-seeing across the city, delivers a great experience.
“This new online course offers a fantastic opportunity for Glasgow’s tourism businesses. It’s low cost, flexible and will help staff to deliver excellent customer service that will enhance the reputation of our tourism and hospitality sector and create repeat business.”
The GTSI is a public and private sector partnership which aims to improve customer service standards in Glasgow.
Managed by VisitScotland and supported by the Glasgow Tourism Strategy Group, GTSI aims to grow tourism revenue by 2016 and to boost tourism-related employment to 40,000.
In addition to the Glasgow Welcomes online course, GTSI offers a number of training seminars for hospitality employees at a range of levels as well as career advice.
