Louisa DaleyThe Getting Games Ready training programme, which will prepare tourism businesses to deliver visitor experience during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, is being quality assured and certified by not-for-profit awarding body SFJ Awards.
Developed by People 1st International and the West Midlands Growth Company, up to 7,000 customer-facing employees, such as those servicing the retail, hospitality, accommodation and transport sectors, can now sign up to access the free online training.
The SFJ Awards accreditation aims to help employers and employees improve their customer service credentials and leave a lasting legacy on the wider visitor economy of the region.
Upon completion of the programme, learners will receive an SFJ Awards accredited Getting Games Ready certificate, which aims to become a gold-standard certification for the sector across the West Midlands.
Businesses that train at least 80% of their front-line staff will also be eligible to apply for the coveted ‘Getting Games Ready Business Recognition’, a marker of distinction signalling their commitment to delivering high quality customer experience.
West Midlands Growth Company head of visitor attraction Becky Frall (pictured) said, “The scale of the opportunity is huge. An estimated 1.2m people will visit us to engage with the Games this summer and over 1.5bn viewers are expected to tune in across the globe, so it is vitally important that we showcase the very best of what the West Midlands has to offer.”