We should all expect great service at Edinburgh St James when it opens. That is one of the aspirations of FUSE which aims to put people on the right track for a job at the new development now being built.
There are 3,000 jobs on offer in retail and hospitality, and it is regarded as crucial that the people who take up the jobs are really well trained.
FUSE was launched in the city today. It is the Edinburgh St James retail and hospitality skills academy which will drive employment opportunities and world-class training to the retail and leisure industry. It is part of the Growth Accelerator Model (GAM) by which the new 1.7 million square feet mixed use development is being funded.
Keith Brown MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work; Martin Perry, Project Director of Edinburgh St James; and Councillor Kate Campbell, Economy Convenor at the City of Edinburgh Council all attended the event.
The initiative has been established to help drive a world-class customer care experience in the capital which will also promote the value and appeal of careers in the retail and hospitality sector, both in the city and internationally. They aim to do this by providing best practice support, employment opportunity and training to all.
The academy will work closely with prospective employers at Edinburgh St James, as well as skills agencies and employers across Edinburgh and the wider industry, to understand what those recruitment and skills needs are.
They will then give the prospective employees high quality training.
FUSE will operate an assessment programme, which will accept candidates who meet carefully defined entry standards. Once accepted, recruits will join an intensive programme, which will provide education, training and work experience. FUSE graduates will receive industry-recognised qualifications that match global standards within the hospitality and retail sector.
The academy will open to the public in early 2019 in readiness for the retail and leisure opening at Edinburgh St James in 2020 and the hotel in 2021. Before that opening, FUSE will engage with schools, colleges, and universities across Edinburgh,on a roadshow to tell people about it.
Martin Perry, Project Director for Edinburgh St James, commented: “Working with partners across the city, we are providing a world-class skills, training and employment academy to meet the industry’s needs for a leading workforce across both retail and hospitality. FUSE will have a strong international outlook and work to build relationships with world-leading centres elsewhere to share learning and insights about creating world-class customer care and a highly appealing retail and hospitality environment.”
Keith Brown MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, added: “Scotland is world renowned for the warmth of our welcome and the quality of our hospitality, and the FUSE academy will certainly support this. I look forward to seeing FUSE take shape, along with the wider Edinburgh St James development, driving skills development, training and work experience opportunities, preparing candidates for employment within the hospitality and retail sector.”
Councillor Kate Campbell, Economy Convenor at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “FUSE is a fundamental part of the Edinburgh St James project and one I feel very passionately about. It will deliver world-class customer service training to help those with barriers to employment back into work. Our aim as a Council is to ensure that the city’s prosperity reaches everyone, in every neighbourhood, in the city.
“FUSE will also benefit Edinburgh St James, by helping to bridge skills gaps in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors and will complement our recruitment skills centres at Edinburgh Airport and Fort Kinnaird Retail Park. We want to work collaboratively with key city partners including schools, colleges, universities and local communities so that more people benefit from Edinburgh’s success.”
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