Lothian Tourism Recruitment and Retention Programme: evaluation 2002-04

In September 2002, Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian (SEEL) subcontracted the delivery of their Tourism Recruitment and Retention Programme to Springboard Scotland. The programme’s aims were to: improve the operation of the Scottish labour market; ensure the best start for all young people; narrow the unemployment gap; and improve the demand for high quality in work training. The evaluation was carried out to assess Springboard’s performance against targets set by SEEL.

Springboard’s performance was measured against the quantitative targets set. A small number of telephone interviews were carried out with stakeholders who had dealt with Springboard over the previous eighteen months. The overall performance of Springboard was examined.

Springboard performed very well overall, exceeding set targets. Areas of success which were particularly noted were: organising events, particularly with partner organisations; improving networking within the industry and becoming a contact point for local organisations looking for recruitment or skills information; raising awareness of the tourism industry; adult starts into training initiatives, particularly from SIP areas, and high employment rates for those leaving adult training initiatives.

It was recommended that: Springboard continue to be funded in its role; that targets be revised; that Springboard’s priorities be re-evaluated in light of the 2004 Future Skills Scotland employer survey; that working with disadvantaged adults become more of a focus; and that more small and medium sized employers be targeted.