Secondary school pupils in Moray have been learning the secrets of good customer service to boost their career prospects.
Students at Lossiemouth High School were put through their paces at Johnstons of Elgin yesterday as part of the scheme that trained the popular volunteers at the London Olympics.
The 16-year-olds acted out scenarios they could face in retail, hospitality and tourism jobs to make them more attractive to employers when leaving school.
Moira Stickle, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) manager for Moray, said: “The main thing we are trying to do is build career skills for our young people.
“There has been a lot of feedback in the past that the pupils are not ready for work when they leave school – there are a lot of discussions about that at the moment.
“This helps create links with industries so our young people can get as much experience and credentials as possible to get them ready for employment.”
The Lossiemouth students learned the dos and don’ts of hospitality during the session at the world-renowned wool mill as part of the World Host session.
Moray Economic Partnership is backing the roll-out of the accreditation across the region to ensure tourists get the best welcome when they arrive.
All secondary schools in the region will take part in the scheme over several days. The teenagers will then return to demonstrate what they have learned.
Gail Cleaver, operations manager of Johnstons of Elgin, said: “It’s going to be a huge benefit to the pupils to leave school with this extra qualification that shows they are work-ready.
“Tourism is such a big thing in Moray that it will help them with a variety of jobs.”
Willie Wood, chairman of Moray DYW and human resources director of Johnstons of Elgin, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the pupils. While World Host training is aimed at the tourism and service sector, any candidate who has this on their CV will be of interest to a potential employer.
“This is not just because of the quality of the training, but will also recognise their initiative in undertaking the training in the first place.”
