Staff shortfall in hospitality sector a priority for new TAA chief
Tourism Accommodation Australia’s (TAA) new CEO Michael Johnson says there is a massive shortfall in the number of trained staff in the hospitality sector which will need 123,000 more employees in 2020.
He said while the cities are struggling, many regional areas “have it a lot worse”.
“This is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately,” he said.
“It’s no secret staff are needed right across the board in our sector – from chefs to food and beverage and front office staff, engineers to marketing and finance.
“In greater Sydney alone there are approximately 10,000 rooms in the pipeline – we need to act now to ensure we have the workforce for the future.”
TAA is collaborating with TAFE will find new ways to deliver enough appropriately-skilled hospitality and tourism workers to meet future demand.
“TAA NSW is currently considering the various options for maximum effectiveness. We are working together on a long-term strategy that will address the hotel skills shortage issue once and for all,” said Johnson.
TAFE is looking to develop specific courses for the accommodation industry including work placements for school students choosing Vocational Education and Training hospitality and cookery courses; tailored traineeships in hotel operations; and accredited pre-traineeship and pre-apprenticeship programs to promote industry careers.
Sheridan Randall, 12th June 2019
