Job seekers graduate to serve up a skilled dose of hospitality

Seven job seekers from Melbourne’s western suburbs have graduated from a tailored two-week hospitality pre-employment program following a collaboration between Employment Plus, registered training organisation Skills Right Now and AHS Hospitality.

AHS Hospitality is Australia’s leading provider of managed hospitality recruitment and employment services for hotels, serviced apartments and guest services. The organisation’s training provider, Skills Right Now, approached Employment Plus to assist in the recruitment and facilitation of nationally accredited hospitality training for job seekers.

“The two organisations had developed a program designed to maximise employment opportunities for the long-term unemployed within the hospitality sector and were looking for the right employment services partner to further refine the program and recruit suitable candidates – naturally we were delighted to assist with their brief!” said Chris McMackin, Regional Manager for Employment Plus.

The hospitality pre-employment program offered a range of unique training elements, including:

• A pre-screening interview to assess candidate suitability for current and ongoing vacancies
• Nationally accredited training
• Preparation for employer expectations of employees working in the hospitality sector
• Delivery of relevant training and assessment by experienced industry trainers/assessors
• A mock interview program with skilled career advisors
• The opportunity to explore career paths within the sector
• Interviews with a pool of employers
• A coordinated placement service that can provide employment opportunities to students on completion of the program.

“The program provided a great entry level opportunity for our candidates to build their knowledge and skills in renowned hotels across Melbourne – the ideal pathway for career progression within the hospitality sector,” said Chris.

In line with the job brief and candidate preference profile, thirty potential candidates were initially interviewed by Employment Plus. Ten of these candidates were then screened into the pre-employment program.

“Of the seven graduates, five are now working in hotels throughout Melbourne in multiple room attendant positions with another two at interview stage, which is an excellent result,” said Chris.

Darren Otten, CEO of Skills Right Now said that although the candidates all presented with recruitment challenges, the end outcome for AHS Hospitality was a success.

“The job seekers presented with multiple barriers to employment, however by working with Employment Plus in delivering the training and coaching we were able to help them prepare for the interview,” said Darren.

“AHS were impressed with the skills and the presentation of the job seekers and listed them for work as room attendants – a great result for all!”