T was highly encouraging to read that Mandy Payne, the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce’s new president, plans to focus on training and apprenticeships during her tenure (Daily Echo, May 14).

Training is at the very core of the new National Coastal Tourism Academy, recently established in Bournemouth. We are currently in the process of designing new on-line training courses for everyone in the town’s hospitality and leisure industry, which can be completed anytime, 24/7 at a time to suit the applicant.

By the end of May we will be offering everyone in the resort’s tourism sector the opportunity to take a free on-line course which will focus on knowledge about Bournemouth’s tourism offering, alongside training on excellent customer service. The course will take about an hour to complete and will lead to an award as a Bournemouth Ambassador.

Future courses will be offered leading to a City & Guilds qualification, with additional courses focusing on management training, digital marketing and social media.

Also echoing Ms Payne’s comments, the Academy will be promoting apprenticeship schemes in the tourism sector, with ambitious targets for creating jobs and boosting business revenue.

Working jointly with BCTC, other industry bodies, and representatives in the town’s retail, tourism and hospitality sectors will be crucial if we are to see growth in the resort’s economy, and underpins the work of the NCTA.

The biggest resource of any business is its staff; investing time and resources in training is not a luxury but a necessity.

STEPHEN GODSALL,

acting director,

National Coastal Tourism Academy