KEY POLICY AREA

Employment, 
Skills & Training

Behind every exquisitely tailored Savile Row suit, every expertly distilled Scottish whisky, every stay in a five-star hotel and every luxury automobile are the people who brought them to life, often involving skills that have been honed in the UK over decades and a network of artisans, specialist suppliers and producers.
Employment in our sector can include a wide range of roles from design, artificial intelligence (AI) and finance to bartending, handweaving and glassblowing. Highly skills-oriented, the industry invests heavily in training and equipping its employees to deliver outstanding products and experiences, while also focusing on building a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
Walpole is calling on the Government to:
01
Introduce an improved Geographical Indicator regime to protect skills and crafts
02
Reform the apprentice levy
03
Invest in teaching modern foreign languages
04
Ensure access to talent and recognise the highly skilled nature of luxury careers
05
Reform the tax and regulatory system to support high quality employment

Read our Luxury in the Making Report

Download Report

Our seven Key Policy Areas

Tax Free Shopping, Taxation & Regulation
Employment, Skills 
& Training
Tourism & the Visitor Economy
Sustainability
IP & Selective Distribution
European Trade
Global Trade

Walpole consistently raises issues with ministers, civil servants and other politicians. If you want to help us do so, please let us know.

Contact the Representation team