Vol 4 Test 9 Part 2

Section two, you will hear a woman called Murray talking at a conference to a group of people who work in the hospitality industry in Scotland. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14 on page three.


Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14


Hi, my name's Marie Cooper, and I'm here to tell you about the scholarships offered by the hospitality industry in Scotland. The scholarship scheme supports people currently working in hotels, resorts and tourist attractions. Each year 100 People are selected to go and work in some of the leading hospitality organizations in the world. This time last year, I was wondering whether to apply for a scholarship and not sure if I had enough experience to be successful. I needn't have worried. The scholarship is open to people of all ages working full time in the industry. The only stipulation is that you need to have worked for three years in hospitality, not necessarily for the same organization. Of course, they're looking for ambitious people who want to get on but you haven't had the chance to work in management or studied at college. So there are no minimum qualifications required. And you're just as likely to be offered a scholarship if you work for a large fancy hotel in Edinburgh, or a small family hotel in the highlands. As we all know, Scotland is famous for its fishing golf, coastline and unspoiled countryside, which is why it's always been a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. Something like 10% of people in Scotland depend on the Scottish hospitality industry for their income. So it's vital that it continues to attract large numbers of visitors each year. The scholarships are a way of maintaining Scotland's reputation as a quality destination so that visitors to Scotland continue to have a very positive experience.


Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20 on page four.


Now listen, and answer questions 15 to 20.


I currently work at the Rock Hotel in Perth as a trainee manager. But I joined as a receptionist five years ago. At the time, I was looking for work that fitted in with a young family. And I was lucky to get the perfect job for me where I could take time off during the school holidays. I realized soon after I started that I loved working with people and enjoyed working in a hotel environment. Last year, I was lucky enough to be a scholarship winner. The application process was actually quite simple. I was worried I'd have to give a presentation in front of loads of people. But you just have to produce a report on your current place of employment, saying how you think you could make a difference there. My manager at the Rock Hotel was very supportive and gave me time off to do the writing and the research. Then, all the winners were invited to an award ceremony. They were mostly working in different sorts of hotels, although a few were working at tourist attractions, and one was involved in the Edinburgh Festival. I'd expected I'd be one of the youngest, but at least half the people were younger than me. All the people I met couldn't believe their luck that they'd been successful as it's not unusual to fail the first time. I was sent to the floor. At the beach hotel. Here, the emphasis is on customer service, making sure that staff are trained to give customers a really personal service, checking that guests are enjoying their stay. So they're encouraged to chat with them, even if their job is just clearing tables. Quite a different atmosphere to some hotels I know where the emphasis is on efficiency, which can make the guests feel in the way. One of the things we were encouraged to do while we were on our placements was to find out what people thought about visiting Scotland. That was quite interesting. Although everyone I spoke to knew a bit about Scotland, the majority had never considered a holiday there. And of the people who were thinking of visiting Scotland, they were really only interested in visiting Edinburgh and St. Andrews. Anyway, on my return to the Rock Hotel, my manager asked me to introduce some improvements. And the first thing I did was to redraft our customer survey form to get guests detailed opinions. This used to be given to customers at the end of their stay when they're in a rush to leave. So I decided it would be better to email them to customers at home, so they have more time to complete them. It's another way of staying in contact with them too.


That is the end of section two. You now have half a minute to check your answers.


Now turn to section three, on page five