Swansea University Students to Investigate Sales Skills Gap That Could Be Holding Back Welsh Business Growth

The Safety Letterbox Company has partnered with Swansea University to investigate why businesses struggle to recruit sales and business development professionals, amid concerns that a lack of awareness of commercial careers could be limiting growth opportunities.

Six third-year business students are undertaking a research project examining the challenges employers face in attracting suitable candidates, how young people perceive sales careers and whether closer collaboration between education and industry could help address the problem.

The initiative was developed by Alison Orrells of The Safety Letterbox Company following recruitment difficulties within the business and conversations with other employers experiencing similar challenges.

The research will explore whether businesses are doing enough to promote commercial careers and whether schools, colleges and universities could play a greater role in introducing young people to the skills and opportunities available.

Sales and business development teams can play a critical role in business growth, helping organisations secure customers, enter new markets, increase revenue and create opportunities for further investment and employment.

However, Alison believes these roles are often overlooked by young people, despite offering potentially rewarding careers that do not necessarily depend on strong academic qualifications.

The Swansea University project will examine how The Safety Letterbox Company currently attracts candidates, including its recruitment channels, website, social media activity and use of recruitment agencies.

Students will also investigate how employers communicate the realities of working in sales and business development, what skills are required and whether greater exposure to commercial activities could encourage more young people to consider these careers.

The collaboration emerged from discussions about internships and practical business experience, with Alison proposing the recruitment challenge as a project for the university’s third-year business students.

The project, involving four students, is being supervised by Dr Sandra Dettmer, Programme Director of BSc Business Management at Swansea University’s School of Management, and aims to identify practical solutions that could benefit both The Safety Letterbox Company and the wider Welsh business community.

Although initially focused on the company’s own recruitment needs, the ambition is to identify findings that could benefit businesses across different sectors.

The research will also consider whether closer engagement between employers and education providers could help develop a stronger pipeline of commercial talent.

Alison Orrells of The Safety Letterbox Company said:

“Sales and business development can be the catalyst that unlocks growth opportunities across an entire organisation. Successful commercial teams help businesses enter new markets, increase revenue and create jobs across other departments.

 

“What’s interesting is that these are some of the very roles we find hardest to recruit for, and from conversations I’ve had with other businesses, we’re certainly not alone in facing that challenge.

 

“I think we need to look more closely at how young people understand these careers and whether we’re doing enough to demonstrate the opportunities available. You don’t necessarily need to be the most academically successful student to excel in sales. Personality, ambition, communication skills and determination can be equally important.

 

“That’s why we’ve asked Swansea University students to investigate the challenge. Hopefully, their findings will help us improve our own recruitment approach while identifying opportunities for businesses and education providers to work more closely together.

 

“If we can encourage more young people to recognise the potential of commercial careers, the benefits could extend well beyond individual businesses and support wider economic growth.”

The students are expected to present their findings in February 2027, providing an opportunity to assess whether the challenges identified by The Safety Letterbox Company reflect a wider skills issue facing Welsh employers.