A future Labor Government will revitalise Tasmania's key hospitality industry, training tomorrow's workforce by plugging gaps in the state's skills shortage to protect jobs in the sector.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said while nearly 3,500 jobs have been lost in Tasmania's tourism and hospitality sector since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were already serious pre-existing issues attracting workers with the right skills because the Liberal Government had failed to plan for the future.
"Labor's $40 million plan for free TAFE in important areas of the economy where there are widely acknowledged skill shortages, including hospitality and tourism, will help more people get a foot in the door to a job," Ms White said.
"While nearly 3,500 jobs have been lost in the pandemic, the industry was already facing chronic skill shortages that were seriously preventing growth. TAFE will turn a corner under Labor providing job seekers with the skills they require to get a job and the qualifications that employers in the hospitality industry are looking for."
Speaking before Labor's latest Regional Jobs & Skills forum at Claremont today, Ms White said over the past seven years the Liberal Government had failed to support the hospitality industry by breaking important promises to skill up future workers.
"Four years ago the government promised to extend the Drysdale training facility into Claremont College by 2020 and the Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff needs to explain why it has not yet been delivered.
"This was a multi-million dollar commitment to better connect school leavers with jobs in their local area and Mr Rockliff and the Premier need to be come clean on whether they have abandoned this promise.
"In contrast, our TAFE policy will support 20,000 Tasmanians to get the skills to get a job in areas of workforce shortages and our fully-costed Jobs Plan will deliver jobs for 35,000 Tasmanians."
Rebecca White MP
Labor Leader
