The Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance (NITA) has named chef and restaurateur Niall McKenna as its first Apprenticeship Ambassador, launching a call for more tourism employers to join the network. The announcement, made on World Tourism Day as part of Tourism and Hospitality Week 2026, aims to bring employers with apprenticeship experience together to advocate for the value of structured training across the sector.

The network, confirmed by NITA, was developed through the organisation's Tourism Skills Forum and will give participating employers opportunities to share their experience through industry events and networking, with a focus on mentoring and support in creating a positive apprenticeship experience.

Niall McKenna owns James Street and Waterman restaurants in Belfast and has recruited apprentices since 2014. Martin Toner, a member of the NITA Tourism Skills Forum, is director of people and culture at McKeever Hotels, a family-owned Northern Ireland hotel group whose turnover reached £25.45 million with 629 employees in its most recent accounts.

The structural driver behind the Ambassador network is employer uncertainty around apprenticeships, with NITA using direct peer testimony from businesses already running structured schemes to remove hesitation among employers who have not yet taken on an apprentice.

Niall McKenna said apprenticeships "provide an important opportunity for businesses to develop talent and invest in the future of our industry," adding that his own business has "seen at first-hand what apprentices can bring to a business" since recruiting them from 2014.

Martin Toner said McKeever Hotels has "invested in apprenticeships from craft right up to management level" across a workforce of more than 600 people, adding that sharing that experience with other businesses can "remove some of the uncertainty around apprenticeships."

For the sector, the Apprenticeship Ambassador network confirms that Northern Ireland's tourism industry is shifting toward peer-led advocacy to build apprenticeship uptake, rather than relying solely on top-down promotional campaigns from training bodies.

Source: businesseye.co.uk / endole.co.uk