Build an airport in North Wales, start your own airline, target European visitors and sell them plane tickets and the attractions of the region – that was the Apprentice-style task handed to 140 secondary school students.
The Year 11 pupils at Rhyl High School had to do everything from choosing an airport site to designing the cabin staff’s uniforms, selecting menus to selling tickets and even working out the supply chain benefits of such a major project.
It was part of a day-long workshop organised by the Llwyddo’n Lleol – Succeeding Locally – project which is funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund to help young people across Conwy and Denbighshire develop their career paths.
The day was run by Llwyddo’n Lleol mentors Anthony Brown and Selwyn Griffith with additional business advice from a Scottish Power team led by Liam O’Sullivan, Network Zone Manager.
Jenni Edwards, Llwyddon’n Lleol Project officer for Conwy and Denbighshire, said: “It was aimed at providing evidence for the Welsh Baccalaureate qualification but also to make the students aware of the importance of the tourism industry to North Wales and the opportunities it provides for careers.
“It gave them experience of so many different skills, from numeracy and communication to problem solving and the ability to work as a team, all of which are important to employers.
“But we’re also trying to get students to think about entrepreneurship and starting their own businesses as a future option as it’s not really happening enough here in North Wales although it is often easier for young people because they have less to lose and the tourism industry offers real opportunities.
“It is vital in North Wales not only that we build a strong and skilled workforce but also that we have young people starting up their own businesses because that will create a vibrant economy for the region and in turn create more opportunities for the future.”
Anthony Brown said: “This raises their awareness of the importance of tourism for North Wales and about ways in which we can increase tourism from Europe and so they need to understand which economies in Europe are struggling and which are doing well and where tourists are likely to come from.
“We want them to understand about all the different strands involved and the opportunities that would be presented.
“It’s not just about being a chef or working in a hotel –photographers and web designers would benefit from increasing tourism – and it’s about understanding how those tentacles spread through the local economy.”
“Scottish Power are here too and while they don’t have direct links to tourism they are a major employer and they can offer advice on the sort of skills you need to succeed in the jobs market as well as how to tackle problems and work as a team.”
The students were split into over 20 small teams and spent the day working on their tasks to set deadlines before presenting their work.
Zoe Shaw, 16, from Rhyl, said: “It’s been great. We chose Bangor as the site for the airport and have targeted Germany for tourists because they have a huge population and a strong economy.”
Team-mate Jake O’Neill said: “I think our culture would attract them but the day has been good and working as a team has been fun.”
The school’s Head of Welsh Baccalaureate, Martin Ruger-Hankey, was delighted with the project. He said: “This is the second time we have worked with Llwyddo’n Lleol on this and it has gone very well.
“We wanted to do something different, to get the kids engaged, and it has succeeded with plenty of enthusiastic people to work with the students.
“It gives our pupils vital skills and they have to use them. It shows them how businesses work and how competition is involved.
“We put people into different groups, separate them from their friends so they’re out of their comfort zone and they have to learn to work together which is what happens in the world of work.”
