Hospitality Sector Forum

Tim Buchanan

Skills and Education Policy Implementation Manager
People 1st

Tim manages People 1st and Skill Smart Retail UK apprenticeship certification teams, processing circa 40000 apprenticeship certificates in Hospitality, Catering, Passenger transport, Travel and Retail per year.

He also updates policy relating to apprentices Hospitality, Catering, Passenger transport, Travel and Retail.

Tim created an internal policy vehicle to support operational staff of developments and operational opportunities

He also manages employer, provider and inter-agency agency relationships and designated issuing authority for Skill Smart Retail UK qualifications.

John Hyde

Executive Chairman

HIT Training Ltd

After John has 29 years experience in Work Based Learning (WBL) for the hospitality industry. Previously he owned a small restaurant and catering chain in Brighton after a career in further education both in the UK and Africa.

In 1998 John founded Hospitality Plus which he grew in eight years to become the 4th largest apprenticeship training company in the country before selling to the Babcock Group.

John was instrumental in founding G10, a trade association for the 10 largest training providers in the UK. G10 successful negotiated the role of the private training provider with the new Learning and Skills Council that replaced the Training and Enterprise Councils in 2001 G10 later evolved into AELP, the current WBL trade association. Recognising the potential to up-skill the hospitality industry with the new Train to Gain programme in 2006, John returned to the sector to found HIT (Hospitality Industry Training), with several of his colleagues from Hospitality Plus. Today it has grown to be the largest provider of Hospitality Apprenticeships in England with a stunning 70% success rate. HIT is 87% owned by its own staff and directors. John was educated at Kings Norton Grammar School, Birmingham, the University of Birmingham and holds an honorary fellowship from the Institute of Hospitality. John is a director of AELP (Association of Learning Providers) and represents AELP at several government committees and is also on the board of the newly created FE Guild.

Mike Cox

Operations Manager

Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP)

After 13 years in retail purchasing and supply, Mike became an assessor for apprenticeships with TBG Learning in 1999. He soon moved onto various development roles with learndirect, RNID and then LSN where he headed up the bidding and development team, helping design support programmes and research in areas including Train to Gain, Citizenship, Diplomas, Key Skills, Functional Skills and Foundation Learning. He joined AELP in February 2013.

Mike is married with 2 children and lives in rural Kent.