ColegauCymru Research Project: Survey of Skills and Qualifications in Wales: Retail, Tourism and Hospitality

David Pickernell, Mark Lang, Malcolm Beynon, Celia Netana, Paul Jones, Simon Thomas, Jonathan Deacon, Rachel Bowen

Research output: Book/ReportCommissioned report

Abstract

This report examines issues directly and indirectly related to skills and qualifications in SMEs undertaking their business activity in the fields of retail, tourism and hospitality (RTH) in Wales, and compares this with non RTH firms. Despite the relative low (104 firms, 35 RTH and 69 non RTH) number of respondents, they were found to be statistically representative and the analysis has been able to determine that:
• RTH and non RTH firms have broadly similar employment levels, business objectives (such as new or improved products / services / processes, employment growth, sales, turnover, profit and export growth) and strategies to meet those objectives.
• RTH and non RTH firms do not appear to have major problems in terms of recruiting staff, or recruiting staff with the skills levels they require.
• Generally, RTH and non RTH firms do not appear to be using recruitment as a way of reducing skills shortages.
• RTH firms are significantly less likely (than non RTH firms) to use recruitment to increase skills.
• RTH firms are more likely to utilise externally focused strategies (identification of new markets / marketing activity, networking, development of new products and services, e-commerce) to meet their business objectives.
• For RTH firms it is external skills shortages (related to networking, sales and marketing) which are of most relevance in affecting their ability to meet their business objectives.
• RTH firms are also more likely to utilise external sources of training (such as from FE / HE) as substitutes for internal training in generating more efficient internal labour outcomes (such as increased productivity, motivated workers, better working environment, increased profitability, greater loyalty to business, increased innovation) from training.
• For RTH firms, external sources of training are particularly relevant in order to generate increased beneficial external outcomes (for instance, exporting / increasing number of visitors attracted from overseas) from training.
• For RTH firms in particular (though not confined to them), FE/HE institutions are used less frequently than other sources of training. They do appear to be an important component of many of the “recipes” (groups of variables which together generate outcomes) identified as important in explaining positive training outcomes.
• Positive training outcomes are generated where FE/HE training is a source of training, and an absence of FE/HE training is linked to an absence of positive training outcomes.

Original languageEnglish
PublisherColegauCymru
Number of pages20
Publication statusPublished - 6 Jul 2016

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