New employment pilot to serve up jobs

The pilot program - or jobs drive - is a joint initiative of the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) and APM (Advanced Personnel Management).

"Despite Tasmania's unemployment rate being one of the highest in Australia at 7.2 per cent, hospitality businesses across the state have struggled to find both highly skilled and semi-skilled staff," said the General Manager of the THA, Steve Old.

"The THA is pleased to partner with APM to conduct an employment pilot and we look forward to this formal collaboration between the two organisations resulting in tangible outcomes for Tasmanian hospitality businesses."

APM's Group Chief Executive Officer, Michael Hobday said: "Hospitality is the third-largest employing industry in Tasmania and APM will be working with the THA to try to make it number one.

"As Australia's largest non-government provider of disability employment services and with our significant presence across Tasmania, APM is well placed to work alongside hospitality businesses to deliver employment solutions for them."

The pilot is being supported by the Tasmanian Government, Nepean Industry Edge Training (NIET) and TasTAFE.

The pilot will see the THA's Hobart offices upgraded to become a Hospitality and Tourism Industry Training Centre of Excellence, with an APM staff member to be stationed there specifically to help hospitality businesses to identify and place job seekers into work.

"In addition, the APM team will provide comprehensive post-placement support," Mr Hobday said. "The pilot is an example of key stakeholders working together to lift the level of employment participation."

As part of APM's commitment to work collaboratively with employment industry partners, APM will coordinate with all providers in Tasmania to source job seekers.

Mr Old said: "Tasmanian hospitality businesses who wish to access services provided as part of the pilot will be able to call a special hotline."

The pilot is about to commence and will run for the next three years.

Key Facts - Tasmanian Hospitality Industry Employment Pilot

• The pilot will commence next week and run for the next three years, with formal reviews at the end of the first and second years.
• The pilot is a joint initiative of the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) and APM (Advanced Personnel Management).
• The pilot is being supported by the Tasmanian Government, Nepean Industry Edge Training (NIET) and TasTAFE.
• A hotline will be established and Tasmanian hospitality businesses who are unable to fill positions will be encouraged to call the hotline number for assistance.
• As part of the pilot, APM will make available a Hobart-based staff member to work on the pilot and be based in the THA's offices (for an initial period of three months - and longer, if required).
• The THA's offices will be upgraded to become a training base/Hospitality and Tourism Industry Training Centre of Excellence.
• The upgrade will be designed to replicate equipment in hospitality businesses (e.g. espresso machine, wet bar); job seekers would receive basic training at the centre of excellence.
• One of the first actions of the pilot will be to carry out a survey of Tasmanian hospitality businesses to ascertain the location and types of positions they are seeking to fill (this consultation could include, but not be limited to, pilot workshops and site visits).
• Utilising information gleaned from the survey, a database of job vacancies, other workforce needs and human resourcing challenges will be developed, including a hospitality industry skills profile.
• APM will work together with all employment service providers to source job seekers.
• Job seekers will be prepared for work in the industry through training and setting up work experience placements.
• Job seekers with appropriate skills will be referred to hospitality businesses which have vacant positions.
• Post-placement support will be provided to employers.
• The Tasmanian Government has set a goal of attracting 1.5 million visitors to the State every year by 2020, which would create 8000 new jobs; without existing vacant positions in the hospitality industry being filled, this goal is unlikely to be achieved.