Last week we took part in the official kick-off meeting for FUTOURWORK, a Horizon Europe-funded research project dedicated to creating a fairer, more inclusive tourism and hospitality sector. 

This ambitious initiative aims to transform the future of work in the sector, bringing systemic change to how labour issues are addressed. It will promote more effective dialogue among employers, unions, and governments and address the growing concerns related to gender inequality, job insecurity and worker wellbeing at a time of digital transformation. 

During the kick-off meeting at Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, partners discussed FUTOURWORK’s aims and objectives and the consortium’s collaborative activities to come during the 3.5-year project.  

Digital Marketing & Communications Officer Kavita Ashton represented Equality in Tourism. She will be leading the communications activity, raising awareness of FUTOURWORK and sharing the transformative knowledge and resources this project will produce. 

The 'Funded by the European Union' logo with the EU flag on the left

The three-day meeting brought together representatives from the project’s eight partner organisations, which are based across six countries – Romania, Portugal, Greece, Sweden, Bulgaria, and the UK. 

The multidisciplinary team from Babeş-Bolyai University involved in FUTOURWORK expressed their enthusiasm regarding the opportunity to host this important first meeting between partners.  

Dora from COLABOR leads a session on social dialogue at the FUTOURWORK kick-off meeting

Project Coordinator Dr. Stroma Cole, who is our Co-Director and Reader at the University of Westminster, commented, “This kick-off meeting in Cluj was a fantastic opportunity to bring together the incredibly diverse team of experts we have working on FUTOURWORK and begin fulfilling the strategic vision for the project.  

“We’re very grateful to Babeş-Bolyai University for their hospitality and ensuring we had a productive, enjoyable experience in the beautiful city of Cluj.” 

Our next in-person meeting will be in Greece this autumn. Until then, we’re excited to keep collaborating virtually and to share the progress of the project’s first stages.

Logos of the eight partner institutions working on FUTOURWORK

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