TAFE Wollongong hospitality graduate Alycia Bencic recently started looking for work in the hospitality sector.
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But Destination Wollongong chief executive officer Mark Sleigh says the sector is seeing a deepening skills shortage which is hurting the Illawarra region.
He said the onset of COVID-19 had sparked an exodus of chefs and front-of-house staff from local venues, while a halt to international travel meant there were no backpackers to fill lower-skilled hospitality roles.
Restaurant and Catering Australia has reported the chef shortage was so severe, there was an average of only one skilled applicant for every 10 jobs advertised nationwide.
Mr Sleigh said the hospitality skills shortage was being felt "at all levels" in the region and urged young people, or older workers who had been laid off recently, to retrain at TAFE NSW and help plug the skills gap.
"Local hospitality businesses are crying out for skilled workers and people can do a hospitality course at TAFE NSW quickly and walk into a decent job," Mr Sleigh said.
"These are great opportunities for young workers or those that have been displaced from other industries to secure a job that will be there for years to come."
Bencic, who has completed an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management, hopes this is the case and she soon finds a job in hospitality management.
The 21-year-old, who is also in the third-year of a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Wollongong, felt she was qualified to get work.
"With TAFE I had a lot of opportunities working with the Amazing Race and doing a lot of public relations in other in-house events. I'm happy to play my part and reduce this so=called skills shortage," Bencic said.
TAFE NSW Team Leader of Hospitality Steve Atkins said a "perfect storm" of factors had created an employment boom in the sector.
"I'm being contacted weekly by local employers desperate for good graduates," he said.
"Tourism is such an important part of the Illawarra's economy but the sector can't thrive without a highly skilled and motivated workforce. That's where TAFE NSW comes in."
TAFE Wollongong last month hosted 15 school leavers for a fee-free pre-apprenticeship "taster course" in hospitality and commercial cookery, with two students securing jobs in kitchens within weeks of completing the course and a number of others gaining work experience.
Mr Atkins said a range of hospitality courses were being offered for semester one, including a Certificate III in Hospitality, Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and a Certificate II in Baking.
Phone 13 16 01 or visit www.tafensw.edu.au for course information.
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
