Greater Shepparton Secondary College Year 10 students have been given a skills session in hospitality as part of the Great Careers and Lifestyle Project run by Greater Shepparton City Council.
Students learnt how to handle plates and to address patrons before participating in a Q&A panel consisting of local business representatives and multicultural liaison officers who provided the students insights from their own experiences and perspectives of work life.
The extra curricular session was the second of two sessions, the first being on customer service and retail skills held on Monday October 10, which have been designed to help students get ready for the workforce.The skill sessions are a result of a collaboration between Greater Shepparton City Council, GOTAFE and Greater Shepparton Secondary College.
Liz Connick, partnership and marketing coordinator at Greater Shepparton City Council hopes the sessions will help young people get jobs and relieve pressure on local businesses.
“We have so many young people around the age of 15 or 16 who can enter the workforce … we're aiming to build their confidence,” Mrs Connick said.
Confidence building is a big factor in the sessions, with Mrs Connick noting that the students had gone through Covid and the ensuing lockdowns, which had damaged their confidence.
To help students with their confidence while finding a job they have also been given guidance in writing resumes and taught how to present themselves during interactions with potential employers.
“What we try to do is to build confidence in them so they can walk into a business, talk to a business owner and ask them for a job,” Mrs Connick said.
Participants of the sessions have been encouraged to complete their job seeker profile on the council’s website and are supported when they get in touch with local business owners.
“We want to support and encourage our young people to apply for casual work with the ultimate aim for our businesses and young people to understand each other’s challenges to solve the immediate workforce problem,” Mrs Connick said.
The sessions are free and held after-hours and Mrs Connick was full of praise for the students who gave up their time in order to learn and better themselves.
“It really shows that these students who are here are willing to give up their time and willing to learn,” Mrs Connick said.
Among those supporting the course and who role-played as test subjects were Council’s multicultural officer Rabia Ali, general manager of McDonalds Scott McAllister and Greater Shepparton Secondary College Partnership Leader Mary-Ann Lineham.