​The Minister for Education and Training, Hon. Sue Ellery, has released the Strategies to grow apprenticeships and traineeships in Western Australia.

The paper supports the McGowan Government’s revitalisation of the Western Australian training system. It provides an overview from the State Training Board’s state-wide industry consultation and offers interim and long-term recommendations to grow apprenticeship and traineeship numbers in Western Australia. 
The document can be downloaded here.

​In a pre-budget submission, Tourism Council WA has called on the State Government to commit to a Tourism Jobs Growth Fund to increase tourism funding and place WA in a competitive position with other States.

​Key components of the Tourism Jobs Growth Fund include focusing on direct international air services on strategic routes, attracting major events and business events, promoting regional dispersal, supporting Aboriginal tourism and publicising Perth as an international education destination.
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The Pre-Budget Submission can be downloaded here.

SkillsIQ, under the direction of the Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Industry Reference Committee (IRC) and the Events Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), has prepared a draft Case for Change outlining the proposed update of those Training Package Products specific to the Events industry in Australia.
​Feedback is being sought on the proposed update to Certificate III in Events (SIT30516), Diploma if Event Management (SIT50316) and Advanced Diploma of Event Management (SIT60216); their associated Units of Competency and Events Skill Sets that are part of the SIT Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Training Package.
For more information, please visit the project page. The draft Case for Change document can be downloaded here.
To access the online form to provide feedback, please click here.  Feedback closes Friday 22 February 2019.

FRINGE WORLD is a summer celebration held in Perth and Western Australia each year. 
It’s the largest annual event in WA and the third largest Fringe in the world. The 2019 FRINGE WORLD Festival is running for 31 days from 18 January to 17 February. The line-up includes comedy, circus, free and family entertainment, theatre, visual arts, musicals, dance and cabaret presented by Western Australian artists along with performers from all over the world. FRINGE WORLD Festival Director, Amber Hasler said the 2019 edition promised to deliver "a smorgasbord of the hilarious and the heart-stopping and the surprising and wonderful".
“Last year’s Fringe was our biggest yet - we had close to a million attendances and we were overjoyed at how much people loved going on a Fringe binge” Ms Hasler said. “This year’s program is heavy on a host of Fringe favourites that are returning after sell out seasons, plus new shows that will delight Fringe fans”.
Learn more and book tickets here

 The Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Industry Reference Committee (IRC) has proposed an update of the training package products that support job roles in the commercial cookery sector, including Catering and Kitchen Operations. A Cookery sub-committee of the IRC has been elected and has prepared a Consultation Briefing paper outlining the proposed changes. The proposed changes are significant, with updates to 10 qualifications, 5 skills sets and 68 associated Units of competency, in addition to qualification structure and pathways.  
​For more information, please visit the project page here. 
The consultation briefing paper can be downloaded here. 
To access the online form to provide feedback, please click here.  Feedback closes Tuesday 12 February 2019.

Nominations are now open for the top 30 Under 30 industry players. The Nestlé Professional 30 Under 30 celebrates the best and brightest foodservice professionals in Australia aged between 18-30 and is open to chefs, innovators, entrepreneurs, restaurant managers, assistant managers, waiters, sommeliers, and bartenders. Click here for more information and to nominate. Entries close 1st May 2019.

In November 2018 Curtis Stone, the internationally-renowned Australian-born chef along with his culinary team visited Western Australia. The trip was filmed for a future TV series and the produce the team experienced is featured on Stone’s Beverly Hills’ restaurant, Maude, until the end of March 2019. This promotion of WA takes advantage of the growth in food and wine tourism globally and is anticipated to increase visitor numbers through highlighting the State’s unique food and wine offering to international audiences. While in the State, Stone and his team visited the Kimberley (Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm and Kooljaman at Cape Leveque, a remote wilderness camp owned and run by the Indigenous Bardi Jawi Communities), the Pilbara (Yarrie [Beef] Station), Pinjarra (Shorthorn [Beef] Farms), Nannup (St John’s Brook cheese farm) and Margaret River.

The achievements and contributions in WA sport will be celebrated at WA's most prestigious sports awards, the 2018 RAC WA Sports Star Awards at Optus Stadium on Thursday 7 February.
 
Ticket sales are closing soon, so don't miss you chance to join in the celebration to reflect on the 2018 year in WA sport with on and off-field performers and past winners coming together.
Tickets can be purchased here.

A new $500,000 fund to promote Western Australia as a sports event and training hub for Asia has been launched.  The fund is intended to forge stronger tourism and trade ties between the State, Japan, China Indonesia and India.
The Asian Sport Strategy will fund Western Australia's State Sporting Associations to better engage with overseas teams and encourage their use of WA as an offshore base for training and competitions. Swimming WA is the program's first successful applicant - this week welcoming the Japanese swim team to Perth.
The Swimming WA program will involve training and development opportunities with the WA Institute of Sport, swimming scholarships for international students, a swimming instructor exchange program and continued delivery of the Indian Ocean All Stars Meet.
The funding program is also intended to help strengthen broader ties between WA and Asia by encouraging increased local visitation, stronger engagement in international education and better trade links within the region.

​PwC are working with Australian Industry 4.0 Manufacturing Forum Testlabs and Future of Work, Education and Training Work Stream led by Swinburne University, AMWU, and Ai Group to produce a public report on Industry 4.0 with a particular focus on the manufacturing industry and the implications for industry, government and the education sector.   
Industry 4.0 (the ‘fourth industrial revolution’) encompasses end-to-end digitalisation and data integration of the value chain: offering automation, machine-to-machine and human-to-machine communication, continued technological improvements and digitalisation in advanced manufacturing. 
Whilst the focus of the report is primarily on the manufacturing sector, they are interested in a range of perspectives on Industry 4.0 and its impact on you and your workplace.
The survey is open until 5pm AEDT 31st January 2019.
Click here to complete the survey