Workshops to boost tourism and hospitality workforce

The City of Fremantle has secured $25,000 in funding through the Tourism WA Workforce Development Program to help local hospitality and tourism businesses facing critical staff shortages.

Thanks to the Tourism Western Australia funding opportunity, the City has partnered with the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce to deliver Freo’s own Future Ready Workforce Program, a series of three workshops to address critical job vacancies in local hospitality and tourism sectors.

Local businesses have reported to the City and Chamber of the challenges in finding and retaining quality staff, leading to reduced operational hours or temporary closures.

The first workshop kicks off on 28 June and aims to help participants secure a job in tourism and hospitality by preparing them with essential customer service training, interview preparation skills and presentation advice when applying for roles.

The second workshop on 12 July is a half-day training session will focus on budding baristas. The course covers the fundamentals of the coffee machine, temperature gauges, beverage variations, flavours, and necessary safety information in a hands-on environment.

The third workshop on 26 July is a management pathway session and is ideal for current hospitality and tourism workers looking to upskill in people management including managing complaints, handling conflict and problem-solving frameworks.

For more information and to register for the workshops visit, www.fremantlechamber.com.au/events 

Background:

In August 2022, the WA Government announced $3.9m in funding for the two-year Tourism Workforce Development Program aimed at addressing the workforce skills gap in the tourism and hospitality industries. This program, delivered by Tourism WA, funds short-term initiatives to address immediate worker shortages and build a future talent pipeline.

The Future Ready Workforce Program aligns with the core objectives of both the Tourism Workforce Development Program and the City of Fremantle's Destination Development Strategic Plan for 2023-2027.

It aims to develop labour pools, promote career pathways in tourism and hospitality, and facilitate connections between job seekers and local employers, contributing to the long-term prosperity of Fremantle’s visitor economy.

Image: Baristas at Montreal Local on Knutsford Street