Veterans top job picks
Service experience good fit for hospitality Ed Harry hit hard by poor sales
CAIRNS veterans looking to break into high end hospitality should keep an eye cast on the massive Queen’s Wharf project in Brisbane.
Star CEO Matt Bekier – in Cairns last week, said veterans would be sought after as the multi billion dollar hotel precinct began to take shape.
“That is an area I would like to look into,” Mr Bekier said.
“We need a very broad skillset, from engineers, administration and security to customer service.” Star Entertainment’s Brisbane workforce is expected to double, from 9000 to 18000, by 2024.
“(Queen’s Wharf) will make us bigger than Marina Bay in Singapore,” he said last week.
Mr Bekier said veterans fit the bill when it came to being adaptive and able to work in high pressure, deadline driven environments.
“We need people with a skillset to handle intense situations, execute tasks well and get things done,” he said. “Someone who has that discipline would do really well.”
“That is very much in line with our values – we need people who can get stuff done.”
Cairns RSL sub branch figures show 2300 young veterans were living in Cairns and the Tablelands.
“We need leaders,” Mr Bekier said. “Most of the jobs would be in Queensland.”
He said he “would love” to attend barracks and bases to encourage service members to join Star Entertainment when they transitioned from the military.
“We have a forming strategy but haven’t yet got a lot of traction – the build-up will accelerate over the next few years.”
The interest in veterans comes as Star experiences a high staff turnover in the pressure cooker hospitality environment.
“I grew up in Switzerland where hospitality was in our DNA,” Mr Bekier said.
“I’m still coming to grips with the fact that hospitality is a bit transitional here – it is a big challenge for us.
“The churn rate peaks early on when people figure out they have to work when their friends are having fun.
“There are real opportunities but anyone who comes onboard needs to accept that this is not a short-term gig for a quick fix.”