HOSPITALITY AS A CAREER

It is something to be proud of?

Why do we as society look down on hospitality workers? Why do we think that they are only doing ‘that’ job till they can find something else? Why do we see it as something that we can do if we cant do anything else?

Yes, for a long time hospitality as a career was not something that people strived to be a part of, but that is changing.

Being a chef was the seen as one of the few career choices that was acceptable for people wanting a career, but for wait staff, baristas, and bartenders it was just something to do until something better was found.

Now that perception has finally turned the corner and working in these jobs people have come to see these as careers.

Part of the problem arises from employers being unwilling or unable to correctly train staff, especially wait staff. Far too many staff are just shown the basics and then are expected to learn on the job with not formal training structure or procedures in place.

The industry is part of the problem and does not provide pathways for staff to progress and see that they can have a career in the hospitality industry.

Restaurants, cafes and bars seem to be opening in Toowoomba everyday and the opportunities that exist should excite people who love being part of the hospitality

industry.

The career pathways are wide and varied and can lead to long and exciting job prospects.

With the skills being learned both formally, which may be in the way of a qualification, through to the informal skills learned on the job hospitality workers are growing in numbers and we need to be encouraging people to see it as a career.