People 1st, the sector skills council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, is promising a radical shake-up of qualifications in consultation with employers in its arena.

The skills council is conducting a series of 75 meetings across the UK to get employers' views on what they would like to see included in qualifications for the industry.

Having spoken to 5,000 businesses, People 1st says it has found that many employers were confused about the number of qualifications, felt that the awards weren't relevant to their needs and wanted shorter, bite-sized courses.

It said that while two-thirds of employers in the sector trained staff, 3% of this resulted in a formal qualification. Only 5% of sector employers had received any government funding to help with their training.

The sector skills council said it aims to make qualifications in its field more relevant, clearly understood and flexible.

To find out more about taking part in the consultation process go to www.people1st.co.uk/qualificationreform.