Plans for the new commission come at an opportune time for Mr Watkins as he is calling for a change to the compulsory education system in Wales to give apprenticeships parity of esteem with university degrees to meet the needs of employers.
He maintains that the most talented young people are encouraged to aspire to attend university rather than to consider apprenticeships in sectors, such as hospitality, where there is a desperate need for skilled employees. “The Commission for Tertiary Education and Research will be in a much better position to respond to national and regional learning priorities based on evidence to fit the actual needs of the economy,” said Mr Watkins. “Commissioning learning, whatever that might be, cannot continue to be a free for all. “We have to realise that we live on an island and there is no longer freedom of movement of people following Brexit, which should not come as a surprise to any of us. How are we going to fill job vacancies and fill skills gaps? “There is a high percentage of our talented young people that leaves the area at the age of 18 for higher education rather than staying to develop higher level skills through apprenticeships. Many of these young people never return to employment within the region and this must change.” Last week, Mr Watkins addressed more than 100 delegates at the Mid Wales Tourism and Hospitality Conference, organised by MWT Cymru at the Metropole Hotel and Spa, Llandrindod Wells, where he spoke about the recruitment crisis facing the hospitality industry following Brexit and the pandemic. He asked all delegates to stand up and remain standing if they currently employ or have in the past employed an apprentice. Only six delegates remained standing! He stressed that apprenticeships in Wales are open to people aged from 16 to 65, including those already employed in businesses. Significant investment in Powys and Ceredigion planned over the next decade had the potential to be a regional economic “gamechanger”, with projects likely to impact positively on the visitor economy which would require a highly skilled workforce. “Changing the compulsory education system is not likely to win votes but meeting the needs of our regional economy is far more important, in my opinion, to the region than votes,” he added. “Never in my working life have I experienced the need to reduce the operational hours of a business not because of the limited number of customers but the lack of human resources available to deliver the quality of service expected by the business and its customers. For the past seven months in Mid Wales, this has been a regular picture.” He urged businesses to put pressure on politicians at all levels to challenge the compulsory education system and to develop innovative ways of engaging with primary and secondary schools to make children aware of exciting career opportunities within the hospitality and tourism sector. “Let’s see governing bodies, school leaders, teachers and career guidance giving the same amount of support to students to complete an application for an apprenticeship opportunity as they currently do for the completion of a UCAS form,” he said. He also challenged employers to create apprenticeship opportunities at the same time as students are considering their school options. He is concerned how much longer businesses can continue to operate with a staff shortage before they become unsustainable, with the consequent impact on visitor experience. “We need to be continually raising the quality and increasing the offer, not reducing it,” he said. He revealed that Cambrian Training Company has a minimum of £1.8 million available annually for the next five to seven years to deliver apprenticeships within Powys and Ceredigion. He pledged to secure additional funding for the tourism – the “most economically important” sector in Mid Wales - if there is demand from businesses to make the Apprenticeship Programme one of the solutions to their skills and staffing crisis. “Our sector cannot take advantage of the technological advances of automation,” he added. “To be at our best, we need human interaction and that requires higher level skilled individuals and teams. That does not in itself mean higher education.” One hospitality business already benefitting from the Apprenticeship Programme, having already signed up 13 apprentices, aged from 17 to mid-40s, is Lake Vyrnwy Hotel at Llanwddyn. Operations director Anthony Rosser said: “I don’t understand why more tourism and hospitality businesses don’t employ apprentices. It’s a wonderful opportunity for employees to receive structured training, very beneficial for recruitment, staff retention and progression, helps to drive up standards within your business and is easy to organise and administer.” Picture caption: Arwyn Watkins, OBE - time to change the compulsory education system.
“We have seen record numbers of people coming into Mid Wales. Staycationing looks as if it is going to be with us for some time to come, especially if people don’t have the confidence to travel abroad. “Mid Wales has become a recognised destination and our job is to ensure it stays that way. We know that places like North Wales and Pembrokeshire have been very popular destinations for some time but I think Mid Wales is starting to catch up and long may it continue. “Our challenge is to make sure that we can get these visitors to come back.” But Mr Rees-Evans also warned of “dark clouds looming over the horizon” as the industry grapples with staff shortages, supply chain issues and the expected return of VAT to 20% from 12.5%. There will also be the 1.5% increase in National Insurance staff contributions for businesses to factor in. “As an industry we are going to have to manage these changes carefully because they will affect our bottom line,” he said. The human resource shortfall was also highlighted by Arwyn Watkins OBE, managing director of Cambrian Training Company, the conference’s lead sponsor, who urged delegates to challenge the current education system to ensure that apprenticeships are given equal importance for school leavers as staying in education currently is. “Changing the compulsory education system won’t win votes for politicians, but it will address the needs of the area which is more important,” said Mr Watkins.
But the new chair of the Wales Tourism Alliance, Suzy Davies, also encouraged delegates to “seize the day” and made her organisation’s priorities clear as the industry continues its recovery from the pandemic. “We intend to continue as the strong and united voice for tourism in Wales whilst at the same time being a critical friend to the Welsh Government by campaigning for better economic conditions,” she said. “I want to assure the industry that we are a champion for the private sector. Visit Wales and the Welsh Government can’t do everything so we look forward to working with them. We have to get the balance of partnership right.” That message of unity was supported by Steve Hughson, chair of Mid Wales Regional Tourism Forum, who praised the recent Visit Wales marketing campaigns that had raised the profile of the region to unprecedented levels. “What is being done at the moment in the name of Mid Wales is absolutely magnificent,” he said, while reiterating that the forum will ensure that the “voice of tourism, hospitality and leisure is heard at the Welsh Government”. Other enlightening presentations were delivered by travel journalist, York Membery, who gave insider advice on how to deal with the media, while Nerys Howell and Sian Roberts, from Loving Welsh Food, gave a light hearted lesson on improving customer service. Community-led collaboration in Newtown and Rhayader was the topic of discussion addressed by Bill Stow, Rhayader 2000, Michael Booth, Dwr Cymru, and Stuart Owen, Open Newtown, while Lucy Von Weber, head of marketing at Visit Wales, reviewed their recent promotional campaigns and shared the latest data and research which led to their powerful autumn advertising campaign. Brand specialist, Roger Pride, director of Heavenly, delivered advice to delegates on how to ensure their businesses are being noticed in a crowded market place. In summing up the conference, MWT Cymru chief executive, Val Hawkins, said it had injected fresh energy into the tourism sector and encouraged delegates to spread the positivity across the region. “We have welcomed a cross section of expert speakers with a wealth of knowledge in tourism to this conference which has been extremely well supported by a large number of attendees,” said Mrs Hawkins. “We have a tremendous opportunity now to build the industry whilst at the same time we all need to listen to what our businesses are warning us about human resource shortages, supply chain issues and the pending return of VAT to 20%.” Picture caption: MWT Cymru chairman Rowland Rees-Evans addresses the conference. Delegates are welcomed to the conference by Justin Baird-Murray, managing director of the Metropole Hotel & Spa.
CymruStock - https://cymrustock.co.uk/ - offers Welsh stock film, footage and production services which link broadcasters, advertising, marketing companies and businesses in any sector, especially tourism, to the best content creators covering the whole of Wales.
Customers seeking bespoke filming or photographic services for a specific project in Wales can contact CymruStock with their brief which is then passed on to content creators. A customer has the option of either dealing directly with the content creators or a dedicated CymruStock project manager, who can also provide complementary creative, technical and marketing services. “CymruStock is the first collaborative stock film, photography and production hub where customers can harness the power and beauty of Wales in their marketing, production, advertising and social media,” said Charles Symons from Cymru Creative Group. “Our hugely talented network of creatives across Wales work with customers at both local and national level. We provide creative advice, editing services and specific filming, and we are happy discuss future projects.” CymruPrint - https://cymruprint.co.uk/ - is an e-commerce digital gallery which enables Welsh photographers to showcase and sell their photography, art and illustrations to a worldwide audience. If customers are unable to find the print they want in the gallery, they can email [email protected] and CymruPrint will, wherever possible, source the required image from its photographers. Both digital platforms have access to some of the top film makers, videographers and photographers in Wales who have their own profile and biography at CymruStock and CymruPrint. “Our mission is to provide Welsh creatives with a digitally level playing field to be heard, seen and engage in commerce in a hugely competitive world dominated by commercial giants,” explained Charles. “It’s the first time Welsh creatives have had quality digital platforms of this type to showcase and sell their services and we are delighted with the interest that is being generated at this early stage of development. “We already have more than 1,000 images stored on CymruPrint and are inviting other talented photographers to join to ensure that every part of Wales is covered We can also give customers professional advice on how our assets could be used to the best effect. “The potential for Cymru Creative Group is huge and we already have ideas for developing other platforms to showcase and sell specific services. The model is perfect for franchising to other countries.” Working with business partners Jamie Walker and Neil Ferguson, Charles has harnessed their detailed knowledge of digital media to develop Cymru Creative Group. It is a natural extension of his work as managing director of AMP Digital Services in Aberystwyth, which creates and delivers full service content, branding and marketing solutions from conception to production for clients across the UK. The company specialises in video and film production, music video production, aerial photography and video, CGI creation, website build, augmented reality, strategic marketing, insight brand strategy, development design, art direction print, digital advertising and social media marketing. CymruStock has received a grant from Ceredigion Council via the Welsh Government funded Arfor Innovation Fund. The fund is designed to pilot innovative approaches in promoting entrepreneurship, business growth, community resilience and the Welsh language in the Arfor region of West Wales. Picture caption: Matt Wilby, Charles Symons and Jamie Walker from CymruStock. |
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