VEE Skills Group Minutes of Meeting 29th April 2025

VEE – Visitor Economy Skills Group

Meeting Notes

Tuesday 29^th April 2025 at 2.00pm (online)  on TEAMS

 In attendance (in order of appearance on TEAMS)

Apologies:

Valerie – Local Flavours and VENI Employer Engagement

Headlines and Action Points

1. Appointment of Vice Chair of Skills Group – Rachel Bunn from East Coast College
2. Apprenticeships – more case studies from colleges relating to visitor economy and continue the conversation.
3. Heritage Skills – keep the conversation going.
4. WorldHost training to be expanded across region;  Eastern Education Group to set up a Training Centre to support capacity building.  Further conversations with colleges to follow.
5. UK Hospitality Skills Passport – a useful framework which colleges will further develop and embed into sector based work academies (SWAPs) and Skills Bootcamps.

Introduction and Agenda Overview

• Andrew Wheeler opened the meeting, welcoming attendees and reviewing the agenda.
• Previous Meeting Notes: Discussion on heritage skills, apprenticeships (squaring the circle), and the elusive Skills Academy.

Annual Review: Karen Chapman suggested an annual review of the UKSPF work from April 2024 to March 2025 and this was attached to the meeting invitation.

Apprenticeships and Skills Development

• Katie Dorman presented on apprenticeships, highlighting growth in Norfolk and Suffolk, and the benefits of apprenticeships for businesses and individuals.
  • Statistics: Norfolk shows 11% growth in new starts, significantly higher than the national average.
  • Benefits: Reduced recruitment costs, high retention rates, increased employee engagement, and positive impacts on mental health.
  • Levy Transfer Scheme: Nearly £3 million transferred, supporting over 300 apprentices.
  • Building Futures Incentive Grant: £2000 incentive for employers in South Norfolk and Broadland.

Discussion on Apprenticeships

• Sarah Anstiss and Aimee Jay from College of West Anglia discussed the importance of employer engagement and promotional material.
• Lisa Taylor from City College Norwich emphasized the need for grant funding and face-to-face employer engagement.
• Rachel Bunn highlighted the challenges of salary increases and the importance of work experience.

Visitor Economy and Skills Boot Camps

• Pete Waters discussed the importance of Great Yarmouth in the visitor economy and seconded the proposal (proposed by Andrew) for Rachel Bunn to become the vice chair of the group.
• Rachel Bunn outlined plans for skills boot camps and the need for a skills pipeline to support recruitment and retention in the visitor economy.
• Bev Wallman provided an update on Skills Bootcamps, highlighting the increase in funding and the flexibility to offer level 2 programs.

World Host Training and Place Making

• Andrew Wheeler discussed the success of the WorldHost training program and plans to expand it.
• Phillip Eke talked about the local ambassadors program in Kings Lynn and the development of a digital e-learning module.

Heritage Skills

• Lisa Taylor and Sarah Anstiss expressed interest in heritage skills and the potential for collaboration across colleges.
• James Mellish mentioned ongoing work with English Heritage and Historic England on heritage skills.

Local Authority Updates

• Louisa Kiddell provided updates on district skills groups and various initiatives, including AI adoption and economic strategy.

Next Steps

• Andrew Wheeler outlined the next steps, including the focus on skills boot camps, pride in place initiatives, and the continuation of the World Host training program.

A transcript and video of the meeting is available on www.veni.org.uk together with these meeting notes, copies of presentations and the original agenda.

Date of Next Meeting:  Tuesday 22^nd July 2025 at 2.00pm (online – TEAMS)