Kieran Swail

GTTprovides tourism training solutions tailored specifically to industry needs and has developed a range of bespoke training programmes, mentoring support and business plans including:

• Hospitality and Tourism Mentoring Project for Mourne Heritage Trust ;
• Customer Care and Civic Pride Training Programme for East Border Region ;
• Customer Charter Training for Electoral Service of Northern Ireland ;
• Tourism Marketing Mentoring Programme Lough Neagh Partnership ;
• FaCT (Food and Cultural Tourism) Mentoring Programme Waterford Leader;
• Mentoring support for two tourism businesses in the Greenbox ;
• Marketing Action & Product Development Plan for Flavour of Tyrone
• Successful Funding Application for £240k for Belleeks GAC to SportNI;
• Action Plan for the implementation of the TalkTourism Model ;
•  Food Branding Initiative/Action Plan for the Mournes.

Current Projects:

• Facilitating Workshops for People 1st on the roll-out of the UK Skills Passport in NI;
• External Evaluator for the Ulearning Skillnet 2008-09, University of Limerick;
• Facilitator for Castlereagh Borough Council 'Survive & Thrive' Programme- a local capacity building programme to ten businesses in the Borough ;
• Business Mentor on the Failte Ireland Mentoring Panel 2009-2010;
• Associate Panel for the Learning Skills Development Agency NI;
• Panel of Mentors for Young Enterprise in Northern Ireland
• Voluntary Mentor for the Princes Trust NI;

Past Projects :

• Lough Neagh Marketing Strategy - Lough Neagh Partnership ;
• Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) All-Island Market Review ;
• Clonakilty District - European Destination of Excellence 3 year Marketing Plan;
• Outer Belfast Tourism Development & Marketing Analysis;
• Larne Tourism Strategy ;
• Giant's Causeway Visitor Servicing Needs Assessment;
• Sustaining the 7Stanes Report, TTC/Roger Tyms , Forestry Commission of Scotland.

Current Projects:

• Roscommon Tourism Strategy;
• Belfast Integrated Tourism Strategy.

The Southern Region WDF for Hospitality and Tourism was set up in March 2009. In broad terms the Group focuses on the following:

• assessing the skill needs locally;
• defining the current problems with skilled labour;
• outlining what we are currently doing;
• proposing what we need to do in the future to address identified weaknesses.

The specific areas of work up until December 2010 are to:

1. Examine local labour market skills needs + advise future action.

2. Develop proposals to deal with identified local skills shortages.

3. Identify and report on a prioritised list of local issues.

4. Review existing delivery mechanisms used by Southern Regional College + other providers.

5. Review provision from level 1 - 5 delivered locally + recommend new areas of development.

6. Recommend + support marketing strategies with educational institutions throughout the region.

7. Contribute to the development of new curriculum provision particularly at level 5/6

8. Advise on College capital investment in relevant technology/equipment.

 The role of the committee is to ensure that the project meets targets and objectives as set out in the letter of offer from Skillnets Ltd. The Ulearning project seeks to promote the following:

• Innovative Individualised Learning with transferable skills;
• Industrial training with strategic imparting of knowledge through acquired lifelong learning;
• Modular flexible learning, whilst developing the skills base of the workforce;
• A flexible framework meeting the needs of both individual learners and their employers.

Subjects Taught:Marketing and Sales,Rural Tourism, Small Business Enterprise,

International Tourism, Travel Geography,Tour Operations.

Programmes: HND Travel and Tourism Management, Foundation Degree in Travel and Tourism, HND Hospitality Management, BA (Hons) Degree (Part-time) Hotel and Tourism Management.

Special Responsibilities:

• Course Coordinator for the Foundation Degree in Travel and Tourism Management
• Worked with local employers to set up industrial placements for students
• Organised domestic and overseas educational visits - established a Leonardo Exchange project with a college in Nuremburg, Germany.

I was responsible for operating and selling Educational, Concert and  Winter Sports Tours in Europe.

Sold Corporate Hospitality Packages atsporting events in Europe.

Managed staff, stock control, basic accounts, organised entertainment, responsible for the daily

running of the family business.