HBAA is writing to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking him to create a ‘Re-Skill and Re-Equip’ fund to help many viable businesses across various industry sectors to Re-Skill their staff and Re-Equip their companies to enable them to adapt and stay in business.
Juliet Price, Consultant Executive Director of HBAA which represents more than 300 UK member organisations including over 100 agency and 225 venue members who work collaboratively in the business events, accommodation, meetings and events sector, says: “HBAA is committed to supporting our members in diversifying their businesses to survive the pandemic and have greater viability in the long term. Companies involved in delivering meetings and events, the venues themselves and professional freelancers are unable to arrange, host or work on live events. They are having to adapt to stay in business by creating virtual and hybrid events which for many, involves acquiring a completely new skill set and knowledge base.
“Despite having almost no income from their usual activities purely due to restrictions imposed by the government to control coronavirus, businesses are having to find money to invest in training and equipment to be able to help clients to run professionally presented virtual and hybrid events, just like the recent Conservative and other political party conferences.
“This is not about retraining people for different industries such as cybersecurity. This is to invest in re-skilling staff so that they can be retained in their existing industries to meet growing demand for new ways of working, interacting and engaging, as well as a more secure future.
“It applies not only to the whole of the £84bn events industry which is united as #OneIndustryOneVoice, but also to many other sectors including the theatre and music industries where production staff and venues have also been retraining and re-equipped to run virtual concerts and shows.
“The CBI recently stated that nine in ten workers will need to learn new skills or be retrained over the next decade because the changing nature of the economy is transforming the skills required for many jobs. That is already apparent in the events industry so let us receive the funding now to keep our experienced people and support them in becoming futurefit.”
HBAA is one of 24 organisations involved in the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP). Caroline Jackson, BVEP Vice Chair, who leads the industry’s Skills, Talent, Diversity & Inclusion working group commented “The decimated events industry needs targeted Government support that includes specialist training and equipment. The multi-skilled and experienced people whose work has been halted because of the pandemic restrictions recognise the primacy to protect people’s health.
“With little or no income, training and equipment to move online and prepare for a return to live and hybrid event recovery would be productive and motivating.
“Current government schemes are geared towards large employers and those at the outset of their careers. Venues, agencies and freelancers need funding to develop the ‘re-skilling’ opportunities the government talks about. We need action now, please.”
Mental Health First Aiders
Juliet Price also said that the Re-Skill and Re-Equip Fund should additionally support every industry by training more people in the workplace to be Mental Health First Aiders to meet an immediate need.
“Almost one in five adults (19.2%) were likely to be experiencing some form of depression during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in June 2020; this had almost doubled from around 1 in 10 (9.7%) before the pandemic (July 2019 to March 2020), according to the Office for National Statistics in August.
“Now, following six months of lockdown and restricted living, concerns over job security and the viability of businesses, financial worries and the overarching welfare of family and loved ones have all added to the pandemic’s significant detrimental impact on the mental health of many thousands of people.
“The need is so much greater now. MHFA England recommends that every organisation should be equipped with at least one trained mental health first aider for every 10 employees. The Re-Skill and Re-Equip Fund could support training to ensure that many more people are trained mental health first aiders, able to assist their colleagues in need.”
#hbaafuturefit
www.hbaa.org.uk
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HBAA
HBAA, is an association that represents the interests of over 100 agencies and 225 hotel, venue and services apartment organisations. Its members are all specialists in the business events, accommodation and meetings sector.
HBAA drives, promotes and models good business between its members. It champions best practice, ethical working and sound commercial judgement, making HBAA membership the mark of quality assurance for the sector. It operates a Code of Practice which assures best practice between agents, hotels and venues.
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