Making skills the main course

A SERIES of hospitality workshops are available for Bendigo businesses, as the industry hit hardest by COVID lockdowns continues to find its feet.

Owner of The Dispensary and Chair of Bendigo Tourism Finn Vedelsby said the most recent lockdown hurt the industry which had done so well to bounce back from last year.

“Clearly it’s a blow to our momentum,” he said. “It has been a really great month with optimism rising over the past little while and the events bringing people to Bendigo, the streets have been alive with people dressed well, visiting our gallery and enjoying the culture and arts.

“This snap lockdown certainly is going to put a dint in our bottom line but also our moral.”

Mr Vedelsby said prior to coronavirus, Bendigo Tourism was working hard to bring Melbourne visitors to the regional destination, recently named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

“We identified, before COVID, that there was 52 per cent of Melbourne who’s never been out of Melbourne and it was on our radar to do something with,” he said.

An ongoing struggle for the region, however, has been finding and training good, committed staff in hotels, bars and restaurants.

“There’s been echoing throughout the decades in Bendigo of us not being able to find good staff or find skilled and educated staff for front of house and kitchen positions in the hospitality industry and this is due to a number of factors,” Mr Vedelsby said.

Partnering with Eldred Hospitality, Mr Vedelsby is bringing three top courses for local businesses to upskill their management and staff.

These workshops include the hospitality supervisor course, the train a trainer course, and the recruitment and selection course, things that have been missing from the region for a long time.

“It will assist the growth of local tourism, local hospitality businesses and the industry as a whole and it will create structured, local career paths,” Mr Vedelsby said.

“It’s been well over a decade since the local TAFE has had a front of house certificate course available, so we haven’t really had a hands-on traineeship program in Bendigo for over a decade.”

Spaces are limited, so head to eldtrain.com.au/workshop-schedule to book a spot.