Conwy Employment Hub secured up to £300,000 to deliver vital jobs and education training academies across the county for the next 12 months.
The Pathways to Employment project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is administered and managed on a regional basis.
Together they will be targeting industries with a labour shortage locally, including Energy and Environment, Construction, Advanced Manufacturing, Creative and Digital, Tourism and Hospitality, Health, and Food and Farming.
Conwy Employment Hub’s grant was for £292,510 and in past weeks training has begun, led by key organisations in each sector.
Among those to enrol on a course was Haydn Foulkes, who attended sessions with Go North Wales in Colwyn Bay, at the Quay Hotel in Deganwy and the Hilton Hotel, Dolgarrog, led by North Wales Tourism CEO Jim Jones.
Haydn has since gone on to secure a role in the hospitality arena.
“We learned a lot about tourism and hospitality in North Wales through this friendly programme, which also provided us with a training pack and exercises to hone our thoughts, ideas, and goals about this as a future career,” he said.
“I found it very useful, not only did I learn a great deal about tourism and hospitality but also about my approach to work.
“Since then, I have obtained new employment, and whilst it’s not as a tour guide – which I had set my sights upon during the course – it is still in the hospitality field, in catering.
“I thoroughly enjoy it and had I not been on the course I might not have considered going into this as a job.”
Jim added: “We are delighted to be working in collaboration with the Conwy Employment Hub at the Go North Wales Tourism and Hospitality Academy.
“Partnering with them has proven to be invaluable as they refer us clients who have been thoroughly vetted and possess a genuine enthusiasm for getting involved in our industry.
“This has benefited us greatly, as we can now seamlessly guide these individuals through training towards job opportunities that align with their aspirations.
“Together, we are fostering a strong connection between potential employees and employers, making the process of finding suitable positions more efficient and rewarding.”
Libby Duo, Strategic Manager for Conwy Employment Hub, said the funding will enable them to support even more people into work and education over the coming year.
“In addition to providing job specific training, all courses will focus on increasing confidence, resilience, wellbeing, team building and employability skills,” said Libby.
“They will also include the completion of CVs/application forms, interview skills, sector specific accredited qualifications and basic IT skills, with an introduction to each sector by an employer or industry expert.
“Attendees will generally be people that are work-ready or close to being work-ready, including those in seasonal roles or on zero-hour contracts who will benefit from more secure employment, and efforts are being made to include people from disadvantaged or challenging backgrounds.
“We want to open-up these unique opportunities to as many people as possible, and that includes employers in Conwy so desperate for committed, skilled workers.
“In turn that will have a knock-on effect for communities and the local economy, which is our top priority.”
