The yellow brick road to the hospitality industry in Australia
Australia has a vibrant tourism industry. It is no surprise that Australia is a dream destination for tourists, it has a buzzing entertainment scene, attracts an array of sporting activities and its heart has the most spectacular natural beauty, including its magnificent barrier reef, snow fields, red centre, cities and hinterlands.
At the core of Australia’s tourism industry is its world-class hospitality. Australia boasts exquisite restaurants (it is a foodie haven), bars, casinos and accommodation. The success of Australia’s tourism industry is a testament to the diversity of people who work within its hospitality industry.
The hospitality /tourism industry in Australia employs approximately over 600,000 workers. These workers are developed through innovative and considered career pathways, offering formal hospitality training opportunities to all levels of employment and sectors within this effervescent industry.
Australia’s formal hospitality education programmes are astute and pragmatic. What could be referred to as the ‘yellow-brick road’ to an illustrious hospitality career commences within the school curriculum, and so it should, great talent can be found in the classroom. Students at the school level (up to year 12) if interested in pursuing hospitality as a career may undertake taster or certificate courses in cookery, tourism or hospitality in addition to their regular curricula. Many Colleges are fitted out with a commercial kitchen and a practice restaurant to facilitate learning. Students may also undertake a school based apprenticeship or traineeship where they train in the College and practice these skills in the workplace. To encourage students, there are competitions at the State and Territory level with winners progressing to the national level. If it so happens that students decide to drop out of hospitality as a career and venture into other fields, these transferable skills they have obtained within the classroom do not prove unproductive, rather they can be utilised for part time employment whilst they complete university or other studies whilst still contributing to the hospitality or other industries and paying towards their university studies.
For those students wishing to progress in hospitality the pathway then continues. These individuals enter the tertiary sector. This sector comprises of Universities, TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and Private Providers which deliver a range of nationally recognised qualifications from Certificate levels to the Diplomas and Degrees within the various operative fields i.e. food and beverage, cookery, front office, tourism etc. and on to management. Hospitality / Tourism training in Universities are mainly focussed at the degree levels.
TAFE Institutes (Public Sector) deliver a wide variety of trade courses with, at times, no entry requirements. This provides an inclusive gateway into the pathway. Students’ progress from the certificate level to the Advanced Diploma and could opt out at any stage. On completion of an advanced diploma students receive one and a half years credit towards their three year university degree. Private Providers need to be registered by the State Education Dept., if they provide nationally accredited courses.
The Australian Qualifications Framework levels one to ten provide learners with a clear direction of the structured learning environment from the certificate courses to the doctoral degree and their aspired employment / job outcome. It provides individuals with the building block methodology and embeds recognition and credit arrangements.
All accredited courses undergo a government administered process of review by the Australian Skills Qualifications Authority – ASQA(Courses up to an Advanced Diploma) or Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) for the degree and beyond to ensure education standards.
Nationally accredited courses are developed through wide industry consultation ensuring currency and standards. Courses up to the Advanced Diploma are delivered and assessed using the competency based training methodology. All qualifications are known to provide skills for a strong and sustained career path progression, broadening the participant’s horizon with appropriate theory, practical and managerial skills for their career as they progress.
Australia’s formal education system supports its exciting and innovative tourism and hospitality industry by offering a strategic training pathway with programs ranging from basic skills sets (based on just enough /just in time needs) through to senior management. Its pathway ensures all those critical to the hospitality industry are given adequate opportunities to evolve and succeed in this exciting service industry.
Jerome de Rose provides an Australian perspective of Formal Hospitality Education
He can be contacted on Jerome.derose@gmail.com
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