With WA’s idyllic climate and beautiful wide streets perfect for outdoor entertainment, it’s hard to imagine that once upon a time enjoying a cup of coffee on the pavement was banned. The latest case study from the Committee for Perth examines the introduction of alfresco dining. Read the Case Study Here

The state government has announced a $3.9 million package to fund tourism and hospitality workforce initiatives over the next two years.

The funding will support a series of job-ready skills training courses with StudyPerth for international students and initiatives targeting working holiday makers to leverage the returning pool of workers in these markets.

Tourism and hospitality will be promoted as a rewarding career through activity such as the Chef Ambassador in-school hospitality demonstration program delivered by Hospitality Group Training, and an annual program of in-school tourism career information sessions will also support longer-term initiatives aimed at encouraging young people to consider careers in tourism and hospitality and creating a sustainable pipeline of local skilled workers.
Read the media release here

In addition, a new hospitality and tourism recruitment campaign, called Discover the Other Side, will launch in coming weeks. The campaign will aim to help attract hospitality and tourism workers from interstate and New Zealand to work and live in WA.
More information about: Discover the Other Side

The formal ‘Industry Summary’ document has been guided by the sector’s Industry Reference Committee, comprising stakeholders from various industry organisations such as Restaurant Catering Australia, the Caravan Industry Association, AHA, training bodies, tourism groups and the Australian Travel Careers Council.

The draft summary gives an overview of the interconnected nature of travel, tourism and hospitality, as well as the crippling effect of COVID-19 and the expected industry recovery supported by the Government’s THRIVE 2030 strategy targeting $230 billion in visitor spending.

All the relevant qualifications have been reviewed and the only new proposed qualification is a Certificate IV in Travel qualification to be reviewed 2023-24 .

​To download a copy of the draft Tourism, Travel and Hospitality IRC Industry Summary, please Click Here

To provide feedback on the document: Click Here  (closes 5.00pm, Friday 29 July 2022)

Training Package Products including qualifications, skill sets and units of competency for the Events, Travel, Tourism and Hospitality sectors, Cookery and Kitchen Operations and the Responsible Service of Alcohol have been updated in order to meet the current and future needs of industry.

The updated Training Package SIT - Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Training Package (Release 2.0) has been published on the national register and can be accessed here.

• ​A new website has been created in partnership with the Australian Hotels Association WA and Tourism WA and connects job seekers with available tourism and hospitality roles to help employers fill vacancies.  
• This purpose-built platform will exclusively host tourism and hospitality jobs, while offering job seekers training, visa support, seasonal opportunities and information on regional destinations.   
• The jobs site is free for both employers and job seekers. 
• With the WA border now open, and international and interstate visitors back in Western Australia, there is a need for additional workers across many businesses throughout the State, particularly in regional areas. 

​Click here to access the new website

 

• Thousands of international and domestic tourists are expected to witness the natural phenomenon when the sun, moon and earth align at 11.27am on April 20, 2023.
•  The State Government has committed $19.3 million for Total Solar Eclipse preparation in addition to mid-year review funding, which brings the total spend to more than $21 million 
• The funding is for Beach, road and telecommunications upgrades for Exmouth region

 
Exmouth has been identified as the best land-based place in the world to view the eclipse, with the Exmouth Peninsula set to experience full darkness.
 
Other locations around WA will see a partial solar eclipse, including Perth witnessing a 70 per cent eclipse, Geraldton about 80 per cent, Carnarvon 95 per cent, Karratha 97 per cent and Coral Bay 99 per cent.
 
While the actual eclipse is relatively short, Tourism WA expects visitors to stay in the region for around five days.
 
Thousands of tourists are expected to visit Ningaloo Coastal Reserve, Ningaloo Marine Park, Montebello Marine Park, Pilbara Inshore Islands, Cape Range National Park, Barrow Island Marine Management Area and the Giralia Station.
 
Read the full media statement here

Apprentices
Apprentices in high-demand industries (including Chefs) will get up to $5000 in cash payments for the first two years of their training but wage subsidies will be scaled back for employers.
The renamed Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Scheme has been re targeted so that apprentices, as well as employers, receive financial incentives.
Under the scheme, from July 1 employers in “priority occupations” will receive 10 per cent wage subsidy for first and second-year apprentices and 5 per cent for third years. The subsidy caps out at $15,000. Employers in regional areas will receive an additional 5 per cent wage subsidy for each of the three years of an apprentice’s training.
In a measure aimed at tackling dropout rates among young tradies, those aged between 15 and 20 will receive a follow-up call within three months of starting their apprenticeships to iron out any early issues and the government will fund 2500 more in-training support places.
Tourism Research
The Budget allocates $2 million for a new “visitor economy online employment and skills platform” as well as $4.8 million for Tourism Research Australia “to capture and analyse more tourism and visitor data to help businesses operating in the visitor economy make improved business decisions,”
Working Holiday makers
To help address skills shortages, the current caps on Working Holiday Makers will have a one off 30% increase in 2022/23.
Training
With the aim of encouraging small businesses to train new staff and upskill existing employees, small businesses that invest in training new employees will receive a $120 tax deduction for every $100 spent on training employees.
Read the budget papers here