BIIAB Qualifications Limited (known as BIIAB), a long-standing part of the British Institute of Innkeeping, will be joining the Skills and Education Group – a further education and skills sector membership body.
Committed to advancing skills and education to improve the lives of individuals, the Skills and Education Group has a long, proven history of providing national awarding services. As part of the Group, BIIAB will retain its identity and focus on being the awarding body of choice for the hospitality industry, which employs over 3 million individuals.
In keeping with its drive to achieve educational, economic, and social advancement for all, the Skills and Education Group looks forward to collaborating with the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) to continue to raise industry standards and champion the talented individuals working in hospitality-licensed trades.
The British Institute of Innkeeping aims to inspire, develop, and support its members and their businesses, also pursuing their interests at the highest levels of government. This development will allow the BII to further strengthen its engagement and provision to its members and to focus its resources on its wide range of membership services. BIIAB as part of the Skills and Education Group will retain its services in qualifications and apprenticeships available to BII members.
Through this acquisition, Skills and Education Group further strengthens its position in the marketplace and builds its diverse product portfolio in order to continue to meet local, national, and international skills needs.
Commenting on the acquisition, Paul Eeles, Chief Executive of Skills and Education Group said:
“As a fellow of the BII, and having started my career in the hospitality industry, I am delighted that BIIAB is joining Skills and Education Group.
“I am hugely passionate about the sector, just as much as I am about further education, and I believe this is a fantastic opportunity to bring these two things together.
“As we look to the future, having a qualified and skilled workforce is critical to the success of the hospitality industry. I am really looking forward to working closely with Steve and his team at the BII to continue to champion the industry’s workforce with key stakeholders.”
Steven Alton, Chief Executive of the BII, further stated:
“The hospitality industry faces significant challenges as it rebuilds following the impact of the pandemic. Attracting, developing, supporting, and retaining great talent will be central to its future success. The combined strength of the Skills and Education Group and the BIIAB collaborating with the British Institute of Innkeeping allows us to fully support our members to be at the heart of the economic recovery.
“The BII will continue to invest in its core services supporting its growing membership, including expert helplines, regular clear and actionable information through INNFocus, social media and our website, national recognition awards, member events, BII News and engaging government and key stakeholders on behalf of our members.”
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Notes to editor:
- The Skills and Education Group understands and champions skills-oriented organisations, providers and learners it does this through:
- Forming lasting strategic partnerships and creating opportunities in the wider education and skills sector
- Providing high-quality services centred on collaboration, responsiveness, and diversity
- Championing social mobility and providing grant funding in order to advance the skills and education of individuals.
- The acquisition follows a period of sustained growth for the Skills and Education Group across all of it’s brands Skills and Education Group Awards and Skills and Education Group Access.
- The British Institute of Innkeeping was established 40 years ago and today exists to support, inspire, celebrate, and promote the diversity of talented individuals working in the licensed trade.
- As the leading professional membership organisation for the licensed trade, with over 9,000 members, it exists to inspire, develop, and support its members through a wide range of services including expert helplines, clear and actionable information through regular email updates and social media, national recognition awards, quarterly BII News and representing its members with key stakeholders including Government.
- BIIAB has been established for over 20 years and provides a range of funded and commercial vocational qualifications. They produce over 80,000 certificates a year, serving learners across 400 further education colleges, training providers and employer-based learning providers in the UK. They are regulated by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), Ofqual, Qualification Wales (QiW) and Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
Press release from The BII
For more information, please contact Scott Forbes, Director of Communications at Skills and Education Group, on 07875 381935 or Molly Davis, Head of Communications for the BII on 07539 377752