“To support the inclusivity and diversity in the industry, which it is a very inclusive and diverse industry anyway, is education,” she says. “A lot of people are probably scared to kind of get involved, simply because they are worried they’re going to do something wrong. “Being able to come along and let them know that there is support, and there is training, and they’re not on their own, and there is so much help, that’s going to bridge that gap in a huge way.” “Accessibility is a human right, and employment is a human right, and some of those systems are not inclusive, inherently.” - Amy Lawler For Hospitality Tasmania, initiatives like Next Shift represent more than workforce development. They represent a chance for hospitality to become an industry leader in inclusion, an industry willing to open doors wider and recognise talent in places others may overlook. Angie says that opportunity can have a ripple effect across the entire sector. “Most people who walk in [to Hamlet], walk in very nervous and very unsure what they’re doing, and the confidence that it can give them and grow is just extraordinary,” she says. “Giving them the training and the support in moving forward and transitioning into other roles is just an asset for the industry all over.” Hospitality has long prided itself on being an industry built around people. For many businesses, staffing shortages over recent years have forced operators to rethink traditional recruitment and retention models. Programs like Next Shift demonstrate that broadening recruitment practices is not simply a social good, it is also a smart and sustainable
workforce strategy.
For Emily, the momentum building around the program is one of the most exciting parts of Hamlet’s next chapter. “The issue that we’re tackling is we have a significant skill shortage in the tourism and hospitality industry,” she says. “And I think what we’ve learned over the last 10 years is that it’s not because people are unwilling or unable to work, it’s that there are systems that were not created to be inclusive. “I think the hospitality industry has a really good opportunity to become more inclusive in their recruitment and hiring practices and we’re excited to be involved with that.” Ten years in, Hamlet’s impact can already be measured in careers launched, confidence built, and barriers broken down. But with Next Shift now underway, the organisation’s next decade may prove even more influential. And in an industry powered by people, that could end up being hospitality’s most important shift yet.
21 Tasmanian Hospitality Review June/July Edition
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