Tourism education and training

Australia's education and training providers have significant expertise in equipping employees in the tourism industry with the broad range of skills and knowledge required to service a customer base that is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Access to skilled staff is essential to the success of any business, but is particularly important in the tourism industry, where outstanding service is an integral part of the overall visitor experience and has a direct impact on business performance and profitability. There are a number of workforce challenges that are common to businesses operating in the tourism industry around the world. Issues include labour shortages and the attraction and retention of employees, along with the additional impact of seasonality in many tourism destinations. These issues are further exacerbated by the fact the industry itself is predominantly made up of small businesses, and by the highly casualised nature of the tourism workforce.

Access to education and training, both for new entrants and also for existing workers within the tourism industry, is vital to developing a job-ready, skilled and sustainable workforce. All sectors of the tourism industry are highly dependent upon ready access to large numbers of staff with appropriate high-quality education and training to ensure exceptional service delivery and a world-class tourism product. Australia has a well-developed and mature tertiary education system, including both university and vocational education, offering nationally recognised qualifications aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The AQF provides a framework for progression between education levels and, along with Australia's strong regulatory and quality assurance system, has helped Australia maintain its reputation for excellence in the delivery of education and training. This structured approach is also useful when designing and delivering non-accredited training programs in international markets. Programs are tailored to local industry needs and while non-accredited training is not required to adhere to the specifications of the AQF, a methodical and consistent approach to the development of training programs promotes a high quality outcome.

This industry capability statement provides an overview of Australian capability in the tourism education and training sector, including examples of some of the many Australian companies with specialist expertise.

Excerpt from publication. Show less