The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Birmingham 2022 Festival is expected to welcome over 3.5 million people this year. To arm businesses with the appropriate skills to provide a world-class welcome, up to 7,000 customer-facing employees from businesses across the region are set to take part in the free Getting Games Ready training programme as part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Business and Tourism Programme.
Developed by visitor economy specialists People 1st International and the West Midlands Growth Company, employees of businesses servicing the retail, hospitality, accommodation and transport sectors can sign up to access the free online training.
The programme is quality assured and certified by leading not-for-profit awarding body SFJ Awards. This accreditation means that employers and employees undertaking the Getting Games Ready programme will instantly upgrade their customer service credentials whilst leaving a lasting legacy on the wider visitor economy of the region.
Upon successful completion of the programme, learners will receive an SFJ Awards accredited Getting Games Ready certificate, which is expected to become a gold-standard certification for the sector across the West Midlands, enhancing CVs and boosting career prospects will into the future.
Businesses that train at least 80% of their front-line staff will also be eligible to apply for the coveted Getting Games Ready Business Recognition – a marker of distinction signalling their commitment to delivering best-in-class customer experience.
Course content based on the WorldHost customer service programme, which has been used train thousands of people for events including the London 2012 Olympics and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Becky Frall, Head of Visitor Attraction at the West Midlands Growth Company said, “The scale of the opportunity is huge – an estimated 1.2 million people will visit us to engage with the Games this summer and over 1.5 billion viewers are expected to tune in across the globe, so it is vitally important that we showcase the very best of what the West Midlands has to offer.
“Thanks to the trusted training content of WorldHost and the nationally recognised accreditation of SFJ Awards, Getting Games Ready provides us with a platform to do just that.
“By upskilling our workforce, it will enable our fantastic tourism businesses to gear up for a record-breaking summer, whilst delivering long-term value for the wider visitor economy long-term well after the baton has been passed on to the next host city.”
Managing Director of SFJ Awards Candace Miller commented, “I am delighted that we have been able to play our part in welcoming visitors to the Games and providing a legacy for employees, employers and the wider visitor economy of the West Midlands.
“I encourage all employers and staff to Get Games Ready and access this robust, accredited and most importantly free training course to help showcase what makes our region special and give visitors a warm welcome to the region’s destinations.
“If you work in a venue, hotel, restaurant, bar, pub, café, visitor attraction, retail, transport or any other part of the wider tourism industry, this training will benefit you!”
The training will also help existing staff and those new to tourism to highlight the very best of what the West Midlands has to offer. To find out more visit welcomewm.com.
