{"id":8597,"date":"2026-02-11T10:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T10:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/?p=8597"},"modified":"2026-02-20T15:24:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T15:24:48","slug":"academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills"},"content":{"rendered":" \r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"\" \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \n\n
\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

A major skills initiative aimed at strengthening the future workforce of North Wales\u2019 tourism and hospitality sector is now moving into delivery following the launch of Academi Croeso, a new partnership supported through the North Wales Growth Deal.<\/p>\n

Led by\u00a0Gr\u0175p\u00a0Llandrillo<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0Menai<\/strong><\/b>, the project brings employers, educators and industry bodies together through a hub-and-spoke model designed to create a single, coherent route into training,\u00a0apprenticeships\u00a0and career development across the visitor economy.<\/p>\n

The region\u2019s tourism and hospitality sector\u00a0contributes\u00a0significantly to North\u00a0Wales\u2019\u00a0foundational\u00a0economy, supporting thousands of jobs. But employers say long-standing challenges around recruitment, retention and\u00a0perceptions\u00a0of the industry continue to hold back growth.<\/p>\n

Academi\u00a0Croeso<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0has been created to address these issues by investing in facilities, improving access to training, and developing clearer career pathways for people at all stages.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the\u00a0Ambition North Wales<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0podcast\u00a0Elliw Hughes, Growth Deal Programme Manager at Ambition North Wales<\/strong><\/b>,\u00a0said\u00a0the initiative\u00a0which\u00a0sits\u00a0within\u00a0the\u00a0Growth Deal\u2019s Agri-food and Tourism Programme and its aim of strengthening the region\u2019s skills base.<\/p>\n

She said the project is expected to support more than 250 apprentices over ten years, create\u00a0nearly 70\u00a0jobs and contribute over \u00a336 million in GVA. Elliw also emphasised the importance of collaboration, with more than 100 engagements planned with employers,\u00a0SMEs\u00a0and sole traders.<\/p>\n

At the centre of the model is\u00a0Gr\u0175p\u00a0Llandrillo\u00a0Menai\u2019s\u00a0Rhos-on-Sea campus, which serves as the hub.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spoke partner\u00a0are\u00a0Portmeirion<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0Ltd<\/strong><\/b>,\u00a0Theatr Clwyd<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Zip World<\/strong><\/b>, and there are\u00a0strategic\u00a0partnerships\u00a0Snowdonia Hospitality & Leisure and the National Trust\u00a0– all\u00a0offering\u00a0practical training environments across the region.<\/p>\n

Gwenllian Roberts, the college group\u2019s Executive Director of Commercial Development<\/strong><\/b>, described the initiative as a way of creating a single point of access for skills in the sector, saying: \u201cIt\u2019s that one shop window\u2026 speaking with one voice and that we\u2019re here as one to respond to the needs and opportunities of the North Wales economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gwenllian added that the investment through the Growth Deal enables \u201cbest-in-class facilities\u201d,\u00a0giving learners access to environments that reflect real-world settings.<\/p>\n

The model is also intended to broaden the reach of training beyond immediate tourism and hospitality roles. Gwenllian highlighted growing interest from other sectors where knowledge transfer, apprenticeships and commercial training could play a wider role. She said the initiative reflects confidence in both the sector and the region, with the partnership signalling a long-term commitment to investing in people and communities.<\/p>\n

Partners involved in delivery believe the initiative has the potential to reshape how\u00a0different parts\u00a0of the visitor economy work together.<\/p>\n

Theatr Clwyd\u2019s Executive Director and CEO, Liam Evans-Ford<\/strong><\/b>, said the creative industries had not traditionally been viewed as part of the tourism and hospitality workforce, despite the strong overlap in skills and the role cultural venues play in bringing visitors to the region. The theatre will provide at least 50 apprenticeships across marketing, production, events, duty\u00a0management\u00a0and hospitality, supported by its newly redeveloped facilities.<\/p>\n

At\u00a0Portmeirion\u00a0Ltd, Managing Director Robin Llewelyn<\/strong><\/b> said the opportunity to strengthen links between hospitality venues and local food and drink producers is a key benefit. He explained that the project could support closer relationships between kitchens, producers and suppliers, giving apprentices the chance to understand the full chain from local produce to the visitor experience. Robin also noted that many people entering hospitality do not always see it as a long-term career, and said the project has the potential to shift perceptions by offering structured pathways and development opportunities.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n<\/div>\n\n

\r\n\r\n
\r\n \r\n
\r\n \r\n
\r\n \r\n

Ambition North Wales Podcast<\/h2>\r\n \r\n
\r\n

Gwenllian, Elliw, Liam and Robin talk about Academi Croeso in the Ambition North Wales podcast (episode 3) – Strengthening North Wales\u2019 Hospitality and Tourism Workforce.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n

\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n Listen here<\/span>\r\n \r\n \r\n<\/a> <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n \"The <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Academi Croeso begins delivery as North Wales invests in future tourism and hospitality training and careers.","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[216],"audience":[29],"sector":[37],"class_list":["post-8597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-develop-your-skills","audience-individuals","sector-tourism-and-hospitality"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAcademi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills - Portal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Academi Croeso begins delivery as North Wales invests in future tourism and hospitality training and careers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills - Portal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Academi Croeso begins delivery as North Wales invests in future tourism and hospitality training and careers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Portal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-11T10:00:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-20T15:24:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rees Brown\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rees Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rees Brown\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b589a30ac02ece1568fea6f98e711b2f\"},\"headline\":\"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-11T10:00:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-20T15:24:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":8,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"develop your skills\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Uncategorized\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/\",\"name\":\"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills - Portal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-11T10:00:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-20T15:24:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b589a30ac02ece1568fea6f98e711b2f\"},\"description\":\"Academi Croeso begins delivery as North Wales invests in future tourism and hospitality training and careers.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/news\\\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Portal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/portal-gogledd.cymru\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b589a30ac02ece1568fea6f98e711b2f\",\"name\":\"Rees Brown\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d06a60c0c1bc7c1679cf8c19dbfe61fe53edfae40a7dbce854dd682a8f463999?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d06a60c0c1bc7c1679cf8c19dbfe61fe53edfae40a7dbce854dd682a8f463999?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d06a60c0c1bc7c1679cf8c19dbfe61fe53edfae40a7dbce854dd682a8f463999?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rees Brown\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills - Portal","description":"Academi Croeso begins delivery as North Wales invests in future tourism and hospitality training and careers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills - Portal","og_description":"Academi Croeso begins delivery as North Wales invests in future tourism and hospitality training and careers.","og_url":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/","og_site_name":"Portal","article_published_time":"2026-02-11T10:00:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-20T15:24:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rees Brown","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rees Brown","Estimated reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/"},"author":{"name":"Rees Brown","@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/b589a30ac02ece1568fea6f98e711b2f"},"headline":"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills","datePublished":"2026-02-11T10:00:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-20T15:24:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/"},"wordCount":8,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg","keywords":["develop your skills"],"articleSection":["Uncategorized"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/","url":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/","name":"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills - Portal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-11T10:00:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-20T15:24:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/b589a30ac02ece1568fea6f98e711b2f"},"description":"Academi Croeso begins delivery as North Wales invests in future tourism and hospitality training and careers.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Academi-Croeso-39-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/news\/academi-croeso-begins-work-to-build-sector-skills\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Academi Croeso Begins Work to Build Sector Skills"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/","name":"Portal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/b589a30ac02ece1568fea6f98e711b2f","name":"Rees Brown","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d06a60c0c1bc7c1679cf8c19dbfe61fe53edfae40a7dbce854dd682a8f463999?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d06a60c0c1bc7c1679cf8c19dbfe61fe53edfae40a7dbce854dd682a8f463999?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d06a60c0c1bc7c1679cf8c19dbfe61fe53edfae40a7dbce854dd682a8f463999?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rees Brown"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8597"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8604,"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8597\/revisions\/8604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8597"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=8597"},{"taxonomy":"sector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portal-gogledd.cymru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sector?post=8597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}