DESCRIPTION OF SECTOR
The Tourism and Hospitality sectors are major contributors to the Welsh and regional economy, accounting for around for 5.0% of GVA in Wales (£3.4 billion). In 2020, these sectors employed around 151,000 people across Wales, a fall from 161,000 in 2019 during which time overall employment levels in Wales remained unchanged. Over recent year’s employment in the Tourism and Hospitality sectors as a proportion of all employment in Wales has fluctuated. The latest figures suggest that there are more Hospitality businesses in the region now than when the pandemic started, with many small operators entering the market.
The Tourism and Hospitality sectors have found it increasingly hard to recruit, partly due to other seemingly better paid alternatives. The most recent Welsh Government Tourism barometer suggested that the Cardiff Capital Region when compared to other regions in Wales has struggled to match normal pre-Covid customer levels the most. Visit Wales have also recognised there are issues with the identity of the Welsh brand and the overall poor image of the Tourism and Hospitality sectors and have recently launched a marketing campaign to present Wales as a year round destination.
The Retail sector is one of the largest private sector employers in Wales, employing around 114,000 people and accounts for 6.0% of Welsh GVA. The sector was reported to be shrinking even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has had a significant impact on the sector, but it is in the midst of a reinvention. The way in which we shop is shifting, the role of the store is evolving, and the employment opportunities are changing.
According to EMSI data, the most prevalent roles advertised within the region for these sectors are; Sales and Retail Assistants (18.9%), Kitchen and Catering Assistants (8.2%), Bar Staff (6.5%), Waiters and Waitresses (5.6%), Retail Cashiers and Check-out Operators (4.1%).
KEY JOB ROLES
• Sales and retail assistants
• Retail cashiers and check-out operators
• Sales supervisors
• Managers and directors in retail and wholesale
• Pharmacy and other dispensing assistants
• Customer service occupations
• Van drivers
• Marketing associate professionals
• Chefs
• Kitchen and catering assistants
• Stock control clerks and assistants
SECTOR CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
The CCRSP HFE Cluster group identified the following opportunities & challenges for the CCRSP Employment & Skills Plan 2022-2025:
• Raise the profile of Apprenticeships within the Hospitality sector and ensure that culinary frameworks are fit for purpose to meet future industry trends
• Improve work experience opportunities across the Hospitality, Retail and Tourism sectors for young people in an effort to reduce current skills shortages and dispel negative perceptions of careers in these sectors
• Increase the usage of Labour Market Intelligence to identify skills gaps, labour shortages and recruitment trends across the Hospitality, Retail and Tourism sectors and inform the delivery of post-16 training provision
• Expand the range and flexibility of bite sized learning and CPD training available to the Hospitality, Retail and Tourism sector workforces through initiatives such as the Personal Learning Account (PLA) programme
• Work in partnership with training providers and employability programmes to promote the importance of future entrants into the Hospitality, Retail and Tourism sectors requiring the ‘fundamental skills’ for customer focused industries, alongside having the appropriate qualifications
• Explore innovative approaches to the delivery of training and qualifications to meet the sectors skills gaps and recruitment challenges, such as Skills Academies and Shared Apprenticeship Schemes
• Remain cognisant of the skill gaps for Chefs and Spa & Beauty Therapists and ensure the Hospitality, Retail and Tourism sectors continue to be recognised as a key contributors to Wales’ Foundational Economy
• Establish more effective pathways between industry and further education to ease the transition of FE learners into the Hospitality, Retail and Tourism sectors, particularly into Apprenticeships
• Build on the effective approaches to careers education, information, advice and guidance to address issues of sector perception and promote the Hospitality, Retail and Tourism sectors as viable career options
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGMENT
Spring Board UK https://springboard.uk.net/
UK Hospitality https://www.ukhospitality.org.uk/
Vale Resort https://www.valeresort.com/
Clayton Hotels https://www.claytonhotelcardiff.com/
Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions https://www.wava.org.uk/
Cardiff Metropolitan University https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/
Bridgend College https://www1.bridgend.ac.uk/
Hide https://www.hide.wales/
National Training Federation Wales (NTFW) https://www.ntfw.org/
Celtic Collection - www.celtic-manor.com
