Finding quality staff to fill vacancies in the hospitality industry is always a challenge, and when The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) was opening a new hotel in the Hunter Valley, they turned to TAFE NSW – Hunter Institute to assist with training staff and identifying candidates for work placement.
According to Marina Spallino, Workplace Improvement and Human Resource Projects Manager, IHG, the relationship which began in 2005 has gone from strength to strength.
‘Since our first year when Hunter Institute helped us train staff for our newly-opened Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, they have provided customised training to staff at two more properties within the Hunter region: Crowne Plaza Newcastle and Crowne Plaza Terrigal,’ Ms Spallino said.
Q: |
Want fully-qualified staff who meet your workforce needs? |
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Look to TAFE NSW for skilled graduates. |
Almost 70 percent of hotel staff have now undergone some form of training through Hunter Institute, which has delivered Occupational Health and Safety, Hotel Law and Food Safety courses.
IHG has also been able to source quality staff by identifying graduates from the Hunter Institute’s Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management.
‘At IHG our goal is to create great hotels which our guests love, and to do this we need great people,’ Ms Spallino said. ’Through working closely with Hunter Institute to bring together our expertise as an industry leader and their formal training expertise, we have been very successful in attracting many talented and qualified hospitality students to our company.
‘As these students finish their studies, they continue to build on their knowledge and skills through the training and development they receive with IHG. Here they have the opportunity to transfer the theory and knowledge acquired through TAFE NSW into a real-life hospitality environment.
IHG also runs a scholarship program and a local competition, the Hunter Institute – Crowne Plaza Award for Food & Beverage Service Excellence Awards, both of which help identify potential staff for its hotels.
The winner of the most recent award was Tamara Reilly. Ms Reilly graduated in 2008 from Hunter Institute with an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management, and is now employed at Crowne Plaza Newcastle as a Guest Service Agent as part of their scholarship program.
While studying full-time for the two-year Advanced Diploma, Ms Reilly completed work experience at Crowne Plaza, and was offered a full-time position in June 2008.
‘My TAFE NSW study really helped prepare me for my job,’ Ms Reilly said. ‘The first year of the course in particular was very practical, covering every facet of the hospitality industry, looking at how a hotel works and how to deal with the public.
‘I’m really excited about the opportunity to work with IHG, because there’s so much scope for career development. Working for an international hotel company means my ambitions to travel with work, and one day become a general manager of a hotel, are achievable.’
