Victorian TAFE Hospitality Students Employability Outcomes

Box Hill Institute patisserie teacher Daman Shrivastav recently released his International Specialised Skills Institute (ISS Institute) Fellowship report on the ongoing importance of hospitality education in Australia.

Daman received the Fellowship in 2019 and used it to ask employers and experienced chefs in Australia, the UK, Switzerland and France about any perceived knowledge gaps in recently graduated TAFE chefs. He wondered if the migration of more than 2,408 chefs to Australia since 2015 could be attributed to local chefs lacking in certain skills.

The findings of Daman’s report suggest that there is a gap between the expectations of industry professionals and the perceptions of VET educators regarding graduate capabilities, particularly the one training approach fits all, which does not reflect industry’s priorities. Consequently, Daman has provided specific recommendations to:

• Support the curricula development of and administration of VET in Australia
• Forge connections between industry and various stakeholders
• Adopt the best practices of state-of-the-art European institutes
• Address an identified skills gap

Read a copy of Daman’s report.

The International Specialised Skills Fellowships offer Australians the chance to travel overseas and undertake applied international research into a topic or issue they are passionate about and enhance their skills. The research is often used in education, training and across industries with the intention of generating actionable knowledge, finding solutions or developing innovative practice.