GUEST COLUMN:
Robin Llewelyn
Managing Director
Portmeirion Ltd
Running a destination like Portmeirion gives you a close view of how many different elements come together to create a visitor experience. From our hotels and cottages to our cafés, restaurants, shops, gardens and woodlands, the day-to-day operation relies on a wide range of skilled people and an equally wide network of producers and suppliers.
Tourism and hospitality do not work in isolation. They depend on farmers, growers, makers, chefs, front-of-house teams, maintenance staff and many others whose work sits behind the scenes. One of my hopes for Academi Croeso is that it helps support a far more joined-up approach between all of these areas.
Academi Croeso is a new initiative led by Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and supported by the North Wales Growth Deal. It brings employers and educators together through a hub-and-spoke model, creating a single route for people to access training, apprenticeships and career development in tourism and hospitality. Portmeirion is one of the spoke partners, and for us the project offers a valuable opportunity to help strengthen the skills base for the sector while contributing to a wider effort across the region.
For a business like ours, the idea of partnership is enormously important. Portmeirion was built on vision and collaboration. Clough Williams-Ellis created the village over 50 years to show how a beautiful site could be developed without being spoiled. Today, the site includes two hotels, 13 self-catering cottages, cafés, restaurants, an Italian-style gelateria, shops, gardens and woodland paths. We welcome more than 200,000 visitors a year, and providing a high-quality experience relies on a workforce that is confident, motivated and equipped with the right skills. That cannot be achieved by any single organisation acting alone.
A challenge the sector faces is recruitment and retention. Hospitality roles are often seen as seasonal or temporary, rather than as skilled professions offering long-term prospects. This perception is not unique to North Wales, but it affects us acutely. We have jobs and opportunities, yet too often people do not view them as viable career paths. Academi Croeso can help change that by offering clear, structured pathways supported by facilities and training that reflect the reality of modern hospitality and the wider visitor economy.
One aspect I am particularly hopeful about is the potential for closer links with local producers. Portmeirion already works with many exceptional suppliers, yet some of those relationships are mediated through larger wholesalers. A more connected training and skills network could make those supply-chain relationships stronger and more visible. For example, a production kitchen could be a place where apprentices not only learn hospitality and butchery skills but also gain direct experience working with producers. That connection between the land, the kitchen and the visitor experience is important, and it helps reinforce the value of local provenance.
There is also the opportunity to broaden the understanding of what hospitality work can involve. At Portmeirion, roles range from chefs, servers and baristas to gardeners, maintenance teams, housekeepers, shop staff and events coordinators. The work supports the upkeep of a site with historic buildings, intricate landscaping and a complex operational footprint. Many people who start in front-of-house or kitchen roles later find they are interested in other areas. Some want to move into more structured hours or into positions where they can pass on skills they have built over a lifetime. A training model that recognises those transitions is essential, and I believe Academi Croeso can help create that.
Looking ahead, my hope is that in ten years’ time we will see a far stronger connection between tourism venues, hospitality businesses and local producers. I would like to see young people entering the sector with confidence, having been trained in environments that reflect the full range of opportunities available. I would also like to think that some of the apprentices who come through the scheme will go on to become our future managers, head chefs and team leaders. At Portmeirion, many of our senior staff began their careers in entry-level roles. If Academi Croeso can help accelerate that journey for more people, the whole region will benefit.
Above all, I want this initiative to help reinforce the message that hospitality is a skilled, rewarding and sustainable career. It supports some of the most recognisable and valued parts of North Wales, from hotels and restaurants to heritage sites and cultural venues. With a coordinated approach, supported by high-quality training and strong partnerships, we can build a workforce that is proud of what it does and confident about its future. If Academi Croeso helps achieve that, it will have made a meaningful and lasting difference.
Robin Llewelyn talks about this and more in the Ambition North Wales podcast episode Strengthening North Wales’ Hospitality and Tourism Workforce. Listen here.
