A hotel in Aberaeron has received a national award for its commitment to apprenticeships.

Gwesty’r Harbourmaster Hotel was named Small Employer of the Year at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, a celebration of outstanding achievement in traineeships and apprenticeships, which was held in Newport.

The independently-owned hotel, bar and restaurant has overcome a hospitality industry skills shortage through a commitment to apprenticeships.

Growing its own skilled staff has enabled the hotel to maintain a workforce of 40 highly trained and motivated staff. The Harbourmaster currently has 11 apprentices and has trained 20 over the past five years, and has plans to recruit more in the future.

Dai Morgan, general manager of the Harbourmaster, said: “We are very proud that our apprentices and the company have been acknowledged by this award, which is absolutely fantastic. We have had a lot of help from training provider Cambrian Training over the years and have been a sounding board for them.

“We are a local company that is willing to invest time and money in training and developing the local people who work for us.”

Cambrian Training delivers a BIIAB Foundation Apprenticeship Level 2, Apprenticeships in Professional Cookery Level 2 and Level 3 with opportunities to progress to the AAA Craft Cuisine, Hospitality Supervision and Leadership Level 3 and Hospitality Management Level 4.

See this week’s south papers for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition on Wednesday