Visitor Economy Workforce Development Partnership Webinar

We are pleased to invite you to the next Workforce Development Partnership Webinar, focused on the Visitor Economy – Lifestyle, Leisure and Culture, hosted by Sheffield Chamber of Commerce

Sheffield Chamber of Commerce is pleased to invite employers, providers and partners to the Visitor Economy Workforce Development Partnership Webinar, focused on lifestyle, leisure, hospitality, tourism, culture, heritage and sport.

This online webinar forms part of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) delivery phase and brings businesses and skills partners together to ensure that employer insight directly shapes future skills priorities and workforce solutions for South Yorkshire’s visitor economy.

Event details

Date: 9 February 2026
Time: 1:00pm – 2:30pm
Venue: Online (joining details will be shared ahead of the session)

About the session

South Yorkshire’s visitor economy is a major driver of growth, creativity and economic value. However, employers across the sector continue to report skills shortages, recruitment challenges and workforce capability gaps, particularly in roles supporting cultural activity, live events, venues and visitor-facing services.

This webinar follows a face-to-face Workforce Development Partnership workshop, where evidence and insight were gathered directly from employers and partners. The session will now present back those findings, highlight emerging themes, and provide an opportunity for attendees to reflect on priorities and next steps.

The webinar will bring together businesses, universities, colleges and training providers to:

• Co-design skills solutions – shaping training, apprenticeships and workforce development activity that reflects the real needs of visitor economy employers
• Influence investment and provision – helping inform where funding, pilots and skills programmes should be targeted
• Build a talent pipeline that works – strengthening collaboration between employers and providers to improve work readiness, progression routes and retention

Discussion will be informed by evidence emerging across the visitor economy, including:

• Digital and technical skills gaps supporting cultural and live events
• The importance of core employability and customer-facing skills
• Challenges around seasonality, freelance work and short-term contracts
• Entry routes into the sector and progression pathways for early-career talent

Who should attend

This session is suitable for:

• Employers operating in lifestyle, leisure, hospitality, tourism, culture, heritage and sport
• Skills, people and workforce development leads
• Training providers, colleges and universities
• Partners involved in careers, recruitment and talent pipeline development

Why attend

This webinar provides a key opportunity to see how employer feedback is being used, test emerging priorities, and help shape a skills system that supports both business sustainability and future workforce supply within the visitor economy.