The visitor economy is much more than the tourism sector. It’s town centre management, cultural events, retail, dining, the evening economy and all of the experiences that people visiting an area might expect.
VENI is a collaboration between educators and industry to deliver skills, support, and career opportunities for the region’s visitor economy.
The Visitor Economy Network Initiative (VENI) is a partnership that brings educators, businesses, the public sector and social enterprises closer together.
VENI is all about changing perceptions. In the past tourism, hospitality and other sectors in the visitor economy were seen as limited careers – seasonal work, part time, low paid and long hours. The VENI approach is to change that perception by highlighting the vast choice of career paths within the sector, providing access to training and advice from industry leaders, and creating business networking opportunities.
Through courses such as WorldHost and Pride in Place, VENI creates opportunities for people of all ages both in and out of the workplace, to develop work-ready skills, build confidence and learn more about their local visitor economy, while also giving participants the opportunity to gain a recognised industry-standard qualification and to be matched with employers locally.
Founded in 2021 and overseen by the Eastern Education Group, VENI is a partnership of five colleges: The College of West Anglia, City College Norwich, East Coast College, Suffolk New College and West Suffolk College. VENI also works closely with DWP and local authorities across East Anglia.
Visit East of England (VEE) has supported and nurtured VENI since its inception, and VEE was instrumental in the establishment of the VENI partnership, involving colleges, local authorities and business associations. VEE continues to champion VENI and as the Chair of the Visit East of England Skills Group, Andrew Wheeler (Eastern education group) also has a seat on the LVEP (Local Visitor Economy Partnership) Board, as does vice chair, Rachel Bunn from East Coast College.
VENI partners meet every quarter at the Visitor Economy Skills Group.