Visit: www.discoveryourcareer.com.au.
The website is an industry specific free online recruitment tool that connects apprentices and qualified staff with employers, and provides industry news and advice on progressing a career in hospitality.
The Skills Pathways Project, which can be found on the Discover Your Career website, links suitable candidates with prospective employers and provides mentoring support to apprentices while completing their training.
Chair of the THCC, Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) CEO John Hart says that apprentices mustn’t be overlooked by employers.
"Australia has a reputation as a food mecca of the world. Apprentices will retain this reputation into the future.
"We need to keep these workers engaged in the sector for longer by providing them with a fulfilling and meaningful career in hospitality and tourism," said Hart.
The relaunch comes after the release of Australian Tourism Labour Force Report: 2015-2020 last week, where the inability to find workers with suitable skills was highlighted as the main reason for recruitment difficulties. Seventy one per cent of businesses in the café and restaurant sector reported recruitment deficiencies - nearly double that of other sectors.
The report identified an additional 123,000 workers will be required in the tourism and hospitality sector by 2020, with demand for skilled chefs and café and restaurant managers expected to be the highest at 7,600 and 5,400 workers respectively.
"Chronic labour shortages show why initiatives such as the Skills Pathways Project and the Discover Your Career website are so important.
"Discover Your Career aims to eliminate the difficulty in finding staff by allowing employers to advertise jobs and search for the ideal staff member by setting up a Skills Passport at no cost, just in time for the summer trading period.
"The Discover Hospitality website will revolutionise the way we recruit people in the restaurant and tourism sector. The website shows that the training system can work, that we can deliver real skills to Australians who support businesses in our local communities.
"Discover Your Career can help provide what industry needs: support for the next generation of hospitality workers that will bring new thinking to the dining experience," said Hart.
THCC also launched a Discover Your Career campaign today that targets school leavers to consider a career in hospitality and tourism. Those who enter a competition go in the draw to win an Apple Watch Sport here.
"Employers are encouraged to support the website and advertise their vacant positions on this site, particularly with students looking for positions in the lead up to the summer break.
"Once they create a Skills Passport, employers can actively search for staff or apply to be part of the Skills Pathways project, ensuring they have the right staff with the right skills during the summer trading period," said Hart.
