Parliamentary Secretary Report ROGER JAENSCH Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business, Trade and Red Tape Reduction
Tasmania’s booming visitor economy is driving a massive increase in demand for skilled workers in our hospitality sector. There is no doubt TasTAFE is integral to our future by providing the skills needed for our growing workforce. Every year we invest more than $100 million in vocational education and training, with TasTAFE accounting for more than 70 per cent of our total VET spend. Despite what you may have heard, the number of apprentices and trainees in training at TasTAFE has actually grown over the last year, reflecting Tasmania’s strong economy under this Government along with the increasing demand for skilled workers. Overall, TasTAFE apprentice and trainee enrolments have grown by 5.6 per cent over the past year, from 4353 in 2015 to 4595 in 2016. These figures reflect the strength of TasTAFE’s ability to deliver training that is contemporary and relevant to the needs of industry, working in partnership with employers and continually seeking feedback in relation to the quality of training. The use of technology to support and record workplace learning is growing, and the constant effort to get the right balance of on-the- job training and campus-based training for apprentices and trainees is paying off. This year has been an exciting one for hospitality students, with the next generation of hospitality workers given the opportunity to work alongside world-renowned chefs Alain Passard, Dominque Crenn and Christian Puglisi at TasTAFE Drysdale’s Great Chefs series. It is great to see TasTAFE Drysdale students from Cookery, Hospitality, Tourism and Events delivering their educational experiences in these
popular culinary events, which I know many people from the north and the south of the state have enjoyed. However, we accept that in recent years, particularly given the massive increase in demand, we are not delivering the trained workers that the hospitality industry needs. In particular, the once iconic Drysdale College needs an overhaul. We want to make Drysdale great again, which is why, in our recent budget “Building Tasmania’s Future”, we committed $2.65 million in capital funding and $550,000 in recurrent funding to establish TasTAFE Drysdale as a Centre of Excellence for tourism and hospitality training. We also commissioned a report into Drysdale’s operation and future, which delivered a number of recommendations that we are now closely considering. I expect the Government will be in a position to announce our response to this report very soon, and while no final decisions have yet been made, I do want to make it clear that we absolutely accept the need to overhaul the way that Drysdale operates, and to build much closer links with the hospitality sector. TasTAFE provides practical training and real-life skills. Many courses offer work placements in industry, and connect students with potential employers, from IT students running a help desk, to budding chefs working in Drysdale restaurants with world-class chefs. I would like to thank all TasTAFE staff for their commitment to their work, and the continued support and interaction with industry to ensure that TasTAFE provides the highest possible standard of skills and training to young Tasmanians.
August 2017 www.australianhotels.asn.au
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