Learning Provision, the Labour Market and Skills Needs of the Tourism and Related Sectors in Wales

Abstract

This paper reports results of a project commissioned by the Tourism Training Forum for Wales to assess the labour market, learning provision and skills needs of the tourism and related sectors in Wales, in light of the establishment of People 1st, one of 22 employer-led Sector Skills Councils under the umbrella of the Sector Skills Development Agency, which represents a new approach to skills development in the United Kingdom. Standard industrial classification codes do not map well onto the sector footprint and are insufficiently fine grained which makes it impossible to construct a complete picture from official statistics. Employers report skills gaps amongst a range of staff and a lack of “soft” skills amongst job applicants. Learning provision across Wales was deemed to be sufficient, but it does not necessarily reflect the needs of industry. The paper concludes that despite a consensus on the need to upgrade skills, improve professionalism and to nurture a training culture, there is an absence of an integrated approach to delivering learning and training that is designed to ensure the quality standards which will ensure destination competitiveness.