TasTAFE Drysdale programs raising awareness about careers in Hospitality
TasTAFE Drysdale has recently developed several programs to get young people across Tasmania thinking about a career in hospitality. Drysdale, in collaboration with Tourism Northern Tasmania the Department of Education’s My Education and the Beacon Foundation is developing a Tourism and Hospitality Showcase for grade 10 students from all Northern public schools. Around 140 students will take part in the 24 October event with groups of students rotating around six workshops which will be run by industry representatives and Drysdale staff. The aim of the showcase is to inform students with an interest in working in the sector on the diversity of jobs and the educational pathways into those jobs. The showcase will be engaging, fun and demonstrate where a career in the industry can take students. A professional learning workshop is also being included for teachers to find out more about careers in the industry, skills required and courses available so they can be more informed when advising their students on career options back at school. Beacon Foundation’s Lynda McKay, said many young people aren’t aware what jobs are available in Tourism and Hospitality and that the sector is such a large employer in Tasmania.
“They also may not be aware of the range of courses Drysdale provides that can get them the skills and education they need to enter the industry. This showcase will bring industry and Drysdale teachers together to provide an opportunity for students to experience, firsthand, some of the jobs that they may not have known about before and inform them of the steps required to prepare them for those jobs. We also want young people to know that they can have successful careers in this sector,” Ms McKay said. In 2017 Drysdale North-West has offered a new one- year program aimed at, but not restricted to, Year 11 and 12 students who are interested in the tourism and hospitality sector as a future career. Drysdale Your Career offers three blocks of training and three sets of work placements in the areas of Hospitality, Cookery and Tourism (including tour-guiding). It also offers one session per week in work-readiness skills including resume writing, interview skills, personal grooming and literacy and numeracy. The program operates four days a week, allowing participants to do further study or work on the other days. Participant Linda Moles, 52, (pictured) said the program has helped her achieve her goals. “It’s like the program was written for me, my expectations have been met. It’s brought me out of a really dark place.” Fellow student Toby Allison, 16, said he had enjoyed the work experience the program offered. I learned a lot in the kitchen and how food and beverage and kitchen staff get on in the workplace.” Participants who complete the program will gain a Certificate II in Hospitality, Certificate II in Tourism and a statement of attainment for Cookery units. Drysdale North-West Education Manager, Tim Cox, said there were plans to offer the program in Devonport again next year. “TasTAFE Drysdale is committed to building the capacity of the hospitality and tourism industries and addressing skills-shortages in the area. Programs like this are a great way to encourage young people to think about a career in the industry,” Mr Cox said.
October 2017 www.australianhotels.asn.au
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