Issue 2

January 2005

Welcome Note

Lisa Johnston

Happy New Year One and All and welcome to the 2nd ever issue of the Gallu Newsletter. I hope you all had a profitable Christmas and are making the most of this quieter time before the next rush of customers arrive.

The Gallu team have been busy too, since our last newsletter we have visited over 96 individual tourism businesses to find out what people challenges the industry is faced with so that we can find the solutions for you. We’ve held 5 workshops covering various topics and have arranged many more for you as per your requests, they start this month. For up to the minute information about workshops we are running please visit our website www.gallu.org.uk this is also a great place to see what your peers in the tourism industry think about what Gallu has done so far. My congratulations to Mike Jones from the White House Hotel in Swansea for winning the last issues competition and recognising the Picture at the National Botanic Garden in Wales. Good luck to you all with this issues competition.

Finally, enjoy our newsletter and I urge you to contact us if there is anything we can help you with.

Training Needs Analysis

Since the last newsletter in October the Gallu Team have been very busy meeting with various businesses in South West Wales to carry out a Training Needs Analysis (TNA’s).

Over 90 businesses have been visited and our mid term review showed that ICT, Legislation, Customer Care and familiarisation Trips are the greatest Training and Development Needs identified by the trade.

Although the main part of the training needs analysis has been completed, the Gallu team will be continuing to visit businesses on a less formal basis for the duration of the project.

Through carrying out the TNA’s with businesses the Gallu team hope to provide demand led flexible solutions to problems.

The team will then work with businesses to arrange training which is flexible for them in terms of timing, venue and content of the courses.

Many similar types of businesses have similar wants in terms of training and business development needs. In some cases we have found that, for example, 5 Bed and Breakfasts within a few miles of each other are all interested in going on a similar training course, which they have never been able to find in the past.

Whether that be through not having enough time to find out about it or research it or it may simply be because what they want does not exist as a standard training course and as a small business, with limited funds for training, it would be too expensive to have a bespoke training course developed for just for 1 or 2 members of staff.

In situation like this, Gallu can step in and provide that course the businesses want at a time that is suitable to them all, and maybe, if possible, we would hold it in one of their establishments, so that it is easily accessible for everyone.

Examples of courses that we have already been asked for include:-

Housekeeping – no one ever thinks to send their housekeeping staff on training courses. Housekeepers can often be forgotten about. However, if a Tourist stays in a untidy room, that is not very clean, you can guarantee that that will be one memory that they will take home with them, and it may even discourage them from visiting the area again in the future.

Menu Ideas and Cookery – Guest House and Bed and Breakfast have told us that they are fed up of serving up the same breakfasts day in day out and would be interested in learning about different variations that they could serve, especially if the guest is staying with them for a number of nights. Many would also like to find out more about different dietary requirements. More and more people are becoming vegetarians and vegans or have different food allergies and this is becoming an issue for many establishments.

Other examples of training requests include more information and advice on the Disability Discrimination Act and other legislation, marketing of their websites, basic foreign language skills, customer service….. and the list goes on and on.

So as well as the more traditional type of training, Gallu is keen to look at training courses that are a bit different from the Norm.

If you would like a Gallu facilitator to visit your business to discuss your business development needs please contact your area facilitator on the contact details at the end of the newsletter.

You can keep up to date on the various courses which have been set up by the Gallu project in South West Wales or book a place on a course/seminar by visiting www.gallu.org.uk.

Buddy Day – Look out for your local College Principle and Council Leader!

As part of the Springboard Careers Festival which has been arranged during March, students are being encouraged to take part in ‘Buddy Days’, to go and work in various travel and tourism businesses on Tuesday 8th March.

As a result of this, Gallu thought this would be a fantastic opportunity to get some high profile people in South West Wales to do the same thing for a few hours during that day.

The ‘Buddy Day’ is a fantastic opportunity to promote our industry as a Great Place to Work and encourage more people in South West Wales to choose tourism as a career. It is also a way of demonstrating the closeness and partnership working between agencies like the Council, Education with the Tourism Industry.

We have already received agreement from some Local Authority Leaders and from the Principles of Local Colleges to participate in the day and they will be spending a few hours that day working in tourism businesses across South West Wales. The festival provides employers with ways to invite people to explore the breadth and diversity of opportunities available in the industry and to generate massive nationwide publicity.

A range of events have been arranged across the UK for the week the 7th to the 11th of March to coincide with the Festival, to participate contact Lisa Johnston on 07977 989748.

Quiz Night

SOUTH WEST WALES QUIZ NIGHT

WHO WILL REIGN SUPREME????

Gallu and Springboard are holding a South West Wales quiz night in Carmarthenshire on Tuesday the 8th March 2005.

For any person/business/agency/training provider who is interested in joining a team or making their own team of 4 please email Lisa Johnston at carmarthenshiretourism@gallu.org.uk

Very important!! Please note this is a tourism industry quiz and you will have fun!!

Each team will be encouraged to have an outrageous name and mascot at the very least!

E-Commerce Seminars

From carrying out the Training Needs Analysis it was evident that ICT was the largest need for the Tourism Industry in South West Wales. The only problem was that some businesses were not sure what package they needed to help their business.

As a result of this Gallu facilitators and the Tourist Associations have set up E-Commerce Seminars in their areas to help businesses make an informed decision of what ICT packages are available and what these packages can do to help their business.

The seminar will be led by a range of training providers and colleges to give an overview of each package and how it can benefit businesses.

From the seminar businesses will then be able to book themselves onto specific courses/workshops to concentrate on specific packages!

A brief overview of the following ICT Packages will be given on the day:-

Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, Excel, Sage, Access, PowerPoint, E-Mail, Designing and Updating a Website, Digital Imaging.

The Seminar dates are as follows:-

Pembrokeshire - Tuesday the 18th of January 2005
Time – 12- 2pm
Venue – CC2000 (formerly Canaston Bowl)
                Canaston Bridge
               Narberth
                SA67 8DD

Carmarthenshire – Thursday the 20th of January 2005
Time – 10.00 – 16.00
Venue – Diplomat Hotel,
Llanelli,
Carmarthenshire

Swansea – Wednesday 26th January
Time – 2pm-4pm
Venue – St Annes Hotel
Mumbles
Swansea

Neath Port Talbot – Tuesday 25th January
Time – 10.30-12.30
Venue - Express by Holiday Inn
Llandarcy

Where have the Gallu Team been!

Since the last newsletter the Gallu team have been busy visiting businesses and attending various events and meetings in their areas.

Gallu have been present in the following events:-

Pembrokeshire Open Meeting, Pembrokeshire AGM, People4People Event at Cleddau Bridge, Tourism Swansea Open Meeting, Neath Port Talbot Open Meeting, Federation of Small Businesses Event, Action Stations Activity Seminar, WTA Conference, TTFW Membership Meeting, Carmarthenshire tourism Association Open Meeting.

2004 Courses

A range of courses were arranged by the Gallu Team at the end of 2004, below are a few pictures.......................

Presentation Course

HR Staff Retention Workshop

Silver Service Training

Courses for the New Year!

Since carrying out the training needs Analysis with businesses, ‘Gallu’ have arranged a range of courses/seminars and trade days for 2005.

Below are a few which have been arranged for the coming weeks…..

Make Heritage work for you!

Come along to our seminar for an opportunity to see just how important heritage is to tourism in Wales and to get tips on how you can make use of heritage themes yourself. The seminar will look at the place of heritage in WTB strategies, identify sources of help and information and also give practical examples about how simple and affordable ideas can work for your business.

ADVERT AND BROCHURE DESIGN WORKSHOP

Do you find it difficult to put an advert together to put in a brochure/guide?

Do you know what pictures would look best in an advert?

How do you know what brochure/guide to go into?

How can the Pembrokeshire Guide benefit you?

To find out all the answers to the above and much more about advert and brochure design, come along to our workshop organised for the 8th of February 2005.

For more information about the above and other courses organised by Gallu visit www.gallu.org.uk or contact your area facilitator.