Tourism college to revive Lake District

A tourism college will be opened in the Lake District, the Government will announce today, as part of a drive to revive the area in the aftermath of foot-and-mouth disease.

Tourism in Cumbria and the Lake District has been hard hit by the crisis, which put traditional walking and hiking areas out of bounds.

Lancaster and Morecambe College is to become a specialist college focusing on hospitality and catering as part of an attempt to encourage more young people in the area to consider careers in tourism.

Writing in today's Independent, Estelle Morris, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, said the college's new status was "vital to reviving the Lake District's tourism industry as the region recovers from foot-and-mouth disease".

The college is one of 16 to be designated as a centre of vocational excellence, as part of a £100m three-year initiative.

The 16 "pathfinder" colleges will start work in September and will be encouraged to work with local employers. Barking and Havering College in London is already working with Ford to develop its new specialism in car engineering.

John Brennan, of the Association of Colleges, said he was concerned at the impact of the initiative on colleges that did not specialise.