The Eden Hospitality Training Hub project team have been successful in obtaining a $50,000 grant through the NSW Job Skills Program and Department of Education, Skills & Employment (DESE).
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Planning for the project commenced in February 2021, and with funding now approved, the Eden Hospitality Training Hub will be operational as soon as the current COVID restrictions are lifted.
The Eden Hub seeks to address both the current and predicted hospitality sector jobs and skills shortage in Eden and surrounds, by providing access to high-quality, job-ready skills and industry training.
The facility will be in a central location in the Eden township and will also run as a commercial café, with all profits invested back into the facility.
Eden community development officer Eric Wolske said, "We are all very excited about this project and the level of engagement we've had from local hospitality businesses."
"The Eden Hub has successfully negotiated a sub-lease arrangement with the owners of Ollie Mason's, Jodie and Peter Dunnage. Ollie Mason's had closed for a break over winter which meant there was an opportunity for the Eden Hub to use their facilities for 'real life' training," Mr Wolske said.
"Unfortunately, the current COVID restrictions and lockdown has delayed the commencement, but we are still working closely with the likes of Ollie Mason's and Sprout to create the hands-on experience for the training."
The hospitality sector on the Far South Coast experienced a significant skills shortage across the summer peak trading period in 2020-2021, resulting in a reduction of trading hours and loss of income for many businesses.
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"This skills shortage could become a protracted problem as the tourism and hospitality sector in Eden, Merimbula and Pambula continues to grow," Mr Wolske said.
"Moreover, new corporate developments proposed for Eden could also generate a significant number of new jobs that will require job-ready candidates."
Carina Severs, manager of Eden Community Access Centre said, "Throughout the project development process, we have continually engaged with local hospitality businesses, Job Active organisations, employment agencies and registered training organisations.
"The success of this application for funding is a testament to the degree of collaboration and has drawn on an amazing local knowledge base," Ms Severs said.
"One of the next steps for the Eden Hub is to advertise for, and appoint, a program coordinator to manage the Eden Hub for the 26-week training period," she said.
The project will be implemented by the Eden Community Access Centre in consultation with the Local Jobs program and the Eden Recovery and Resilience Alliance (ERRA).
Anyone wanting more information about this, or any of the other projects being worked on through ERRA, can contact the Eden Community Access Centre directly on (02) 6496 3970 or email accesscentre@eden.nsw.au.
Leah Szanto
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
