West Wales Hospitality Panel Meeting

 

2pm on Wednesday the 21st of June at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, Llanarthney.

Attendees – Lowri Edwards, Lisa Johnston, Karleigh Corcoran, Phil Drakeford, Chris Osborne, Russell Thomas, Alan Dutton, Lynne Jones, Diana Jones

Apologies – Gary Davies, Tony McGetrick

1)Matters Arising – All covered.

 

2) Action Points from previous Panel Meeting –

Rob Jenkins could not attend the meeting but he did say that he will be attending the next one.

LJ highlighted that the beneficiary form had changed since the last meeting to include an explanation on the NVQ and what they were equivalent to.  Since this has been done there has been a slight increase in the number of attendees completing this section.

3) Gallu Update

LJ explained the Gallu targets and where the project was to

date. LyJ asked whether the project would continue after all the targets had been achieved.  LJ stated that it would carry on as there are currently a few initiatives in place such as Customer Care and the Recruitment and Retention projects.  The project is planned to run until March 2007. 

DJ highlighted that the figures are very useful for WEFO however more qualitative information would be beneficial for future projects.  LJ stated that this would be covered in the presentation.

PD asked if the figures had been set too low as they seemed to have been achieved quickly or has the project just been very successful.  LJ stated that this could be a bit of both.  DJ stated that it was very difficult when writing the bid to set figures as they were not sure if they would be achievable or not, however they have been achieved mostly due to the success of the project and the staff delivering it.  CO agreed.

KC went through the results of the Gallu Evaluation Survey and also highlights from the Draft Trade Operators Survey and the TTFW Review and Evaluation Draft 2001 – 2006 in relation to Gallu.

PD asked why the take up on courses in Carmarthenshire was not so high.  LJ stated that it was to do with the types of businesses, what people wanted and also the fact that people were not aware of what was available to them.

AD asked whether Gallu had helped get the unemployed back in to work and Lisa highlighted that the Gallu was to help people who were already in employment.  AD also asked if we knew if the project had helped people develop by attending a course or gaining a qualification, for example had they had a pay rise or promotion.  LJ stated that she was not aware of this as the question had not been asked. 

4) Future Of Gallu – CO stated that the project has been a great success

however, what does the future hold for Gallu?  Could a Gallu 3 be produced? PD stated that Gallu may need to develop and cover different aspects to receive repeat funding.  DJ stated that they are looking at the bigger picture and working on an all Wales strategy that Gallu is a part of.  WAG need to be made aware of how Gallu fits into the bigger picture. 

RT stated that the success of Gallu will be shown by the visitors making repeat visits to the area because of the high quality and service they receive and this will then help the local economy.  CO stated that this kind of survey is already done in Pembrokeshire.

CO stated that future funding needs to be sorted out sooner rather than later as time is passing by. 

CO stated that the Job Centre Plus needs to work with Gallu to see how they can link in together.  CO asked RT and LyJ to keep a look out for funding on a local/regional level.

PD suggested Gallu being available to work with different organisations such as Careers Wales and Job Centre Plus as they already have a network and are in contact with the trade already.

LyJ suggested applying for an extension to the Gallu project again.  DJ suggested asking Lee Elwell from TTFW to look into it.

CO suggested the R&R group to look at ways of working with the Job Centre Plus.

CO and RT suggested a more Customer Focus approach to the future Gallu project.

5) West Wales Hospitality Forum Meeting –   27th September – venue to be confirmed – suggestions were The Maritime Museum, Swansea; MillenniumCoastalPark, Llanelli.

It was suggested to carry out workshops to explore the future of Gallu and how it could develop and also have a inspirational speaker such as Ed Johns covering Customer Care or Martin Morgan from Morgans’s Hotel.  A Gallu update would also be given.

It was suggested that Alan Dutton should speak in next meeting in February about the various initiatives Job Centre Plus had and employment statistics.

6) AOB - AD stated that JOb Centre Plus were looking at ways to get people into work and they had funds to do this.  They are approaching local authorities to see where the skills shortages are so this can be addressed.  They are trying to get people who are on benefit back into employment. AD stated that he would update more at the next meeting.

DJ stated that they have approached DELLS to get members of staff accredited HR advisors as they are already in contact with the trade and it would benefit the project.  DJ will keep the group updated as they are waiting to hear back from DELLS.

Date and Time of Next Meeting – 20th of September – Date and venue to be confirmed.