The University of Plymouth has launched a £275,000 project to train tourism and hospitality students, graduates and professionals in artificial intelligence (AI), the university said on October 21.
The South West Visitor Economy AI Skills Accelerator will place trainees with tourism, hospitality and marketing businesses to work on live AI challenges. These range from customer insight and targeted marketing to visitor data analysis and improving the visitor experience.
The project is funded by Innovate UK through its TechLocal AI Professional Degree and Traineeship Accelerator competition. It comes as industry bodies push to bring smaller operators into the digital economy, with the WTTC targeting one million tourism SMEs.
“This project brings our students, our industry partners and regional employers together so that learning happens on live business challenges,” said Dr Rong Huang, programme lead in tourism and hospitality management at Plymouth Business School and the project’s principal investigator.
Activities include paid graduate traineeships, internships, live AI consultancy projects and work-experience modules. An AI Professional Practice pathway will run across Plymouth Business School programmes and is also open to working professionals.
“AI is changing how we work in travel and tourism, and we need to make sure people have the skills and confidence to use it well,” said Claire Steiner, chair of the education and training committee at the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT).
Steiner said the ITT would bring employers’ views into teaching and share the project’s findings across the UK, “helping both current and future tourism professionals use AI responsibly and effectively.”
The university is working with the ITT, Destination Plymouth, Women in Travel CIC, Building Brands and Brand Biscuit, which runs AI Hub South West.
“For us, it’s about making AI more accessible, practical and genuinely valuable to businesses across the South West,” said Dave Briggs, founder of Building Brands.
Businesses interested in hosting a trainee or intern, or proposing an AI challenge, can contact the university. Graduates and working professionals can register their interest online.
The University of Plymouth is a public university in Devon. Plymouth Business School offers degrees in tourism, hospitality, marketing and business management.
