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International academy joins wellness team to shape skills
22/06/2016
International academy joins wellness team to shape skills
The University of Wolverhampton’s International Academy has teamed up with partner organisations across Europe to develop a new programme called Assess Well.
Working with five organisations from Spain, Germany and Italy, Assess Well has been developed to target people working in the wellness sector who do not have English as a first language, including those working in Spa Management and the delivery of Spa treatments such as facials and massage services.
Assess Well will develop a new vocational course focused on teaching the technical English needed for delivering treatments in an industry where English is used as a common language. It will be a media-based course, allowing the learner to watch the techniques being used whilst also learning the English terms relevant to those techniques and treatments.
The course will also explore intercultural aspects that affect delivery of Spa services and customer communication as well as developing media-based English language resources.
Rachel Henley, Business Development & Project Manager in the International Academy, said: “Evidence has shown that, although the tourism sector contributes significantly to economic growth, employment and social development, there are still a number of challenges around the language skills of staff across Europe.
“The nature of the industry, with spas frequently based at hotels, means that there are a high number of employees who are migrant workers and a high number of clients who are international – resulting in English being used as a common language between client and the employee carrying out the treatment.
“Courses aimed at the hotel industry are often targeted at reception or restaurant staff, and as a result staff who actually deliver the treatments often miss out on vital support needed around professional and technical language development directly relevant to their work.”
The first partner meeting has been held where the project was discussed in detail and the outline of the curriculum planned out in response to initial feedback from employees, employers and Vocational Education & Training providers around the topic. The next meeting is scheduled for September with the course expected to be available for use in 2018.
For more information on the project please contact Rachel Henley, Business Development & Project Manager on Rachel.henley@wlv.ac.uk or telephone 01902 321391.
ENDS
For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 322003/322736
Date Issued: 23rd June 2016
For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.
