Further education colleges have gone into leisure and tourism in a big way, providing everything from General National Vocational Qualifications to Higher National Diplomas and industry-specific training. But are they spreading the jam too thinly?

The travel business may complain that young people coming in are short on geographical knowledge, literacy, numeracy and skills such as teamwork, but the industry itself has a poor reputation for training.

Caroline Horrigan, chief executive of the Travel, Tourism and Events national training organisation (Ttento) is addressing the issues in a sector with a 40 per cent staff turnover. Wage levels are low, management is seen as poor and there is no clear professional development framework.

She is pleased with the Modern Apprenticeship scheme run mostly within the industry, but she also believes that colleges have an important role. “There’s very much a place for FE colleges, but there’s over-provision on general courses - we want to see fewer colleges doing it, but doing it better.”

For the past six years Ttento has been working with five colleges on a Centre of Excellence scheme to encourage specialisation and closer contacts with industry. Dearne Valley College developed a policy of interacting with travel businesses on two levels, by building up extensive work experience placements for students and by bringing in people from the industry as speakers and careers advisers.

They have a branch of a local travel agency in college, but also put great emphasis on outside placements. And they have had to be inventive in negotiating deals for training packages for Yorkshire Tourist Board and local companies who face constantly changing demands. Now they are negotiating to work with Airtours on a cabin crew course. And being a Ttento Centre of Excellence was a strength when the college was deemed to be a centre of vocational excellence. The resulting funds from the Learning and Skills Council will be used for virtual learning.

But colleges have to respond to the needs of students as well as industry. Despite the quality of commercial training packages, neither colleges nor many of their students can afford them. LSC funding will, within certain categories, cover the teaching but not the materials. “The costs involved make it inaccessible to many students,” says Christine Mayley, curriculum leader for leisure and tourism at Peterborough Regional College. Mature students often have to fund themselves, but the 16-to-19 age group can also have difficulties.

She sees the college’s low-season, cheap visit to Rhodes or Ibiza as a valuable part of the AVCE course but, although some students are helped by equal opportunities funds, most have to pay their own way, so she cannot make it compulsory.