Students get ‘behind the scenes’ peek at future careers in tourism

One of the Lake District’s top visitor attractions has given students from Lancaster & Morecambe College a taster of working in Cumbria’s world-class tourism sector, including a talk hosted by industry experts.

A group of Level 3 Travel & Tourism students from Lancaster & Morecambe College gathered at Treetop Trek at Brockhole to hear first-hand insights about future career opportunities in tourism and hospitality, from Cumbria Tourism’s Managing Director, Gill Haigh and Treetop Trek Founder, Mike Turner.

With Cumbria’s visitor economy facing an ongoing recruitment challenge, the students, who are all aiming for careers in the industry, also got a sneak peek behind the scenes at the award-winning high ropes attraction on the shores of Windermere.

Cumbria Tourism has been engaging with colleges and universities throughout Cumbria and Lancashire as part of its continuing work to support local businesses through the current staffing challenges and inspire young people about the wide range of opportunities available to school and college leavers. 

Gill Haigh believes developing and retaining future talent is important for the industry and reminded students that there are plenty of opportunities close to home. She says; 

It’s great to see these students already thinking about joining the sector, as they can bring fresh thinking and innovation. Cumbria’s visitor economy is so diverse, with some many opportunities to make your mark and forge a really fulfilling career path, so this session was a fantastic way to showcase the huge variety of roles available to the next generation.

Students also got a unique glimpse of what it’s like to work at Treetop Trek, where staff spend their days in a vibrant outdoor location and gain hands-on skills with plenty of opportunities for training and development.

Mike Turner shared his first-hand experience of developing Treetop Trek in the Lake District alongside its sister attraction in Manchester, and the valuable learnings he’s picked up along the way. He comments;

There can be some negative perceptions of working in tourism, but in reality, there are so many opportunities for long and successful careers in this industry. We have a big focus on developing our staff, and we want to show these students the wide variety of roles available – not just on-the-ground but behind the scenes in administrative and commercial positions.

Lancaster & Morecambe College offers a variety of Travel & Tourism courses, where students can gain a solid foundation to progress directly into the industry or onto Higher Education.

Jon Lloyd, Senior Lecturer at Lancaster & Morecambe College says; 

We are proud to provide young people and adults with valuable skills to help them to progress – and working with local providers and industry leaders like Treetop Trek allows our students to gain a practical understanding of what their future roles could look like.