Ms O'CONNOR - Minister, we heard in the hospitality and events hearings earlier today that the Tasmanian Hospitality Association receives, or will receive, over the course of seven years since it helped to deliver government to you in 2018, a total of $14.8 million. What skills and training does the THA provide as part of that money? Are they a registered training provider?
Mr JAENSCH - No.
Ms O'CONNOR - They're not? Do they provide any actual skills training in the hospitality sector?
Mr JAENSCH - The Government has provided $1 million to the Tasmanian Hospitality Association and the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania to establish an industry-led, not for profit training provider. Visitor Experience Training - VXT - was established in 2021 and is delivering training in the areas of cookery, front of house, supervisor manager, housekeeping, customer service and guiding.
TasTAFE continues to be a provider of high-quality accredited training in tourism and hospitality as well. What was the figure that you used at the beginning?
Ms O'CONNOR - Mr Street confirmed that between 2018 and 2025, the Tasmanian Hospitality Association will receive additional government funding of $14.8 million, so that's over $2 million a year. I'm asking at this table, is the Tasmanian Hospitality Association or any of its associated entities are registered training provider, and can you provide detail on what funds the Government gives to the THA, specifically for training purposes?
Mr JAENSCH - I've made reference to the VXT. I'm happy for you to comment, Kim.
Mr EVANS - As the minister said this morning, those funds cover a whole range of individual programs; for example, the Great Customer Experience Program, support for mental health.
Ms O'CONNOR - I remember all that from this morning. I'm trying to get to the bottom of the training.
Mr EVANS - Specifically with regard to training, as the minister said, we have provided a grant of $1 million to the THA and the TICT to establish an industry-led, not-for-profit training provider - that's VXT. I would emphasise that's not an RTO, that's a broker of training and it facilitates, through that brokerage service, training to a range of RTOs, including TasTAFE through Drysdale, increasingly, in recent times.
Ms O'CONNOR - Thank you. Minister, is that payment of $1 million to the Tasmanian Hospitality Association and the TICT a one-off, simply for them to establish this entity? Or, is it the Government's intention that that particular training allocation would be ultimately ongoing?
Mr JAENSCH - The information I have with me says that the $1 million was provided to establish the not-for-profit training organisation VXT.
Ms O'CONNOR - Is it established?
Mr EVANS - Yes.
Mr JAENSCH - Which is as Mr Evans said, they don't deliver accredited training themselves, so there are not data held on the training that they deliver because they are not an accredited training provider.
Ms O'CONNOR - I am certain that there will be, in the agreement with these two bodies, a set of expectations about what would be delivered for $1 million in government funding. Are you or Mr Evans able to outline in brief terms what return on investment the Government expects?
Mr JAENSCH - I think that's a Hospitality and Events portfolio agreement, wouldn't it be. I think it would be the forum to ask that question.
Ms O'CONNOR - You've got no line of sight?
Mr EVANS - That's correct, minister. It's funding allocated to a different portfolio through Hospitality.
Ms O'CONNOR - But for training, so it doesn't come under this portfolio at all?
Mr EVANS - It was funding to facilitate the establishment of the new organisation to broker training on behalf of the industry. It is up and running. It is facilitating and procuring training, we are more broadly working through the Tourism and Hospitality Workforce Advisory Committee, which I spoke about earlier, to develop a workforce development plan. That would inform the future needs and place of the Visitor Experience Training (VXT). It is early days for VXT, I would not want to comment on its success or otherwise, but certainly talking with the industry it is fulfilling a need that is there, particularly for non-accredited training.