Business case approval for North Wales’ first Specialist Tourism Skills Hub

An outline business case (OBC) for North Wales’ first specialist tourism skills hub has been approved by the North Wales Economic Ambition Board.

The project can now move to develop a full business case – the final phase in securing Growth Deal funding before implementation.

The Tourism Talent Network, a project led by Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, aims to transform the approach to developing skills for the tourism and hospitality industry across North Wales.

Public and private sector partners aim to promote the growth of the sector in the region with a particular focus on sustainability.

Cllr. Charlie McCoubrey, Leader of Conwy County Borough Council and Lead Member on the Economic Ambition Board for the Agri-food and Tourism Programme, said: “We were pleased to approve the OBC for this project at our last meeting.

“It is an important step and one which will contribute to developing a vibrant and more resilient foundation economy in the region, making the most of opportunities for employment through our culture, environment and landscape.

“The Tourism Talent Network represents a total investment of £12.88m in education and training infrastructure within a sector which is a key part of our economy.

“Around 100 tourism and hospitality businesses across the region are set to benefit through an upskilled workforce with a projected 68 new jobs created and 250 apprenticeships supported.”

Lawrence Wood, Principal of Coleg Llandrillo, explains: “We are pleased that the project has reached such an important stage as we aspire to create a unique hospitality and tourism education and training network across North Wales.

“Collaboration between a new Centre of Excellence at Coleg Llandrillo and state-of-the-art training facilities at our exceptional partner locations will provide the sector with a high-quality workforce enabling economic growth and innovation.”

The project will put the necessary infrastructure in place to deliver training and apprenticeships with an emphasis on, innovation and culture as well as sustainability.

A state-of-the-art training hub at the Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Rhos-on-Sea campus will deliver specialist qualifications for the tourism and hospitality sector.

This will be supported by a regional network of business and organisations, including The National Trust, Portmeirion Cymru, Snowdonia Hospitality & Leisure and Zip World, providing opportunities and expanding the scope of available apprenticeships.

Andrew Hudson, Zip World’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “This exciting project, in partnership with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, couldn’t come at a better time as we plan for future growth whilst building upon our sustainable tourism offering.

“It will create the kind of world-class facilities our communities can be proud of and hopefully inspire the next generation of tourism talent.”

The Tourism Talent Network project forms part of the Agri-food and Tourism programme of the North Wales Growth Deal. Its main objective is to build on the well-established agricultural, food and drink sector in North Wales, while also supporting further investment in high quality tourism.

Business cases are developed for each project within the Growth Deal and each OBC covers the project planning phase and identifies options which deliver public value following detailed appraisals.