A drive to recruit more Tasmanians into kitchen, restaurant, bar and accommodation work is underway, with new training courses being offered by the government-funded organisation VXT.
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The Tasmanian Hospitality Organisation is warning of a dire workforce shortage that could threaten the reputation of its industry, and has called for unaccredited training to assist with the shortage for the upcoming peak season.
This month Visitor Training Experience (VXT) was launched to attract more Tasmanians into tourism and hospitality roles, and to create a pipeline of skilled, talented, industry-ready people for cookery, front of house, housekeeping, customer service, supervisor and guiding roles.
Applications are now open for its first course Classic Cookery, with courses planned to be held in Launceston, Scottsdale, Smithton, Burnie and Devonport.
VXT chief executive Emilie Donovan said almost every area of hospitality needed to attract a new workforce for the next season.
"The aim of VXT is to create a range of job ready short courses to attract people into the industry. Our job is to work with industry to discover what it needs, and to offer training that fills the gaps now and into the future," Ms Donovan said.
"Classic Cookery is our first course, but we plan to roll out a range of similar job-ready courses where people can undertake training and apply for the jobs that are available."
Ms Donovan said it is aimed at mature aged adults with basic cooking experience, including home-cooking experience, to prepare them to work in a commercial kitchen.
She said the courses were also aimed at those who lived and wanted to work in the regions.
"It can be quite daunting for someone who hasn't had experience in hospitality to start work, so to be able to give them a course that gives them the confidence to go into the industry is really important," she said.
"The training has an online component which will commence from mid July, and then practical sessions will run throughout August and finish early September so they are ready to apply for those jobs that will come into the market from September onwards for the coming season."
VXT, formerly the Tasmanian Hospitality and Tourism Training organisation, was established from $1 million of state government funding and is led by the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) and the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT).
