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Skill Summit - 9th December 2011 – Cardiff and Vale College, Barry

In amongst teachers and lecturers from FE, HE and schools across Wales, WTA’s Chair and Chief Executive attended this first People 1st Go! Convention in Wales to show what initiatives are being played out in our country.

Chaired by People 1st’s Council Member from Wales, Philip Lay, Retail Director of SA Brain and Chair of the new People 1st Employers’ Panel, the summit featured presentations from:-

People 1st ‘s Phil Raynsford – Strategy, Vision and Delivery of People 1st in Wales
Phil Raynsord accompanied by Kevin Potts (Coleg Lladrillo), Judith Williams (Neath Port Talbot College) and Veronica Burt (Cardiff and Vale College) – Educators’ Programme of continuing professional development
Jeff Cuthbert, Deputy Minister for Skills, Welsh Government – Government’s Skills Vision
Philip Lay – An employer’s approach to the skills challenges
Mike James, Principal, Cardiff and Vale College – A FE College’s approach to the industry’s skills challenges
Dewi Davies, Tourism Partnership North Wales – a regional strategy
The new Hospitality Learning Pathway (for 14 year olds) trial in North Wales
Arwyn Watkins, Cambrian Taining - Higher Level (AAA) Chef Awards

The large turnout of educators , with nearly 70 in attendance, bodes well for many of the innovative initiatives currently in course. We must hope that they will be ‘rolled out’ for the benefit of most, not just the few who are involved in the pilots. However, it is heartening to find out how much effort is being made by so many partners and, especially, People 1st Go!’s team to tackle our industry’s skills agenda in Wales.

Tourism's Sector Skills Council has been criticised in the past for lack of attention to Wales's needs: this summit goes some way to allay those concerns.

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