He will make this call when addressing delegates at the Mid Wales Tourism and Hospitality Conference at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod on 9 November 2021.

Referring specifically to the recruitment crisis in the hospitality industry caused by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, Watkins will warn that there are no quick fixes and that there is ‘no workforce riding over the hill to rescue us’.

Watkins believes the long-term solution rests with the Welsh and UK Governments rebalancing the focus of the education system to direct more school leavers towards apprenticeships in industries where they are most needed.

Watkins, a former Army apprentice chef who is now president of the Culinary Association of Wales, wants the hospitality industry to engage with children from primary school age upwards to make them aware of rewarding careers within it.

Students often go on to achieve degrees in subjects unrelated to the skills needed by employers in the region. He describes it as a ‘human resource drain’ and wants schools to give apprenticeships parity of esteem with degrees.

“How are children made aware of the opportunities within our industry?” he asked. “The answer is, they are not and that must change. Every hospitality business needs to have a conversation with their politicians, both in Wales and across the UK.

“Changing the compulsory education system is not going to win votes but meeting the needs of the economy is far more important to the country than votes.”

Watkins will also question whether consumers are prepared to pay more for hospitality services in the future, which is the inevitable consequence of the rising cost of food, labour, fuel and taxation.