Accommodation Association secures funding under a new Jobs Victoria initiative

This is an archived announcement. It records that the Accommodation Association, a Complete Hospitality Training partner, secured funding under a Jobs Victoria initiative to create employment in the tourism and hospitality sector and support the sector's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It dates from that recovery period and is retained as a record rather than as current information about available programs.

What follows the announcement is the part still worth reading: what makes an employment program produce something portable, what the law requires of a placement, and what the current funding position actually is.

What the announcement recorded

We congratulated the Accommodation Association on the funding. The post also named a graduate of the CHT and Accommodation Association training partnership, Gaston Silva, who was working in the industry after a period of long-term unemployment. He was quoted at the time:

I am now working my way to becoming a supervisor, then one day venue manager. Without this chance and all the lovely people that trained me to get into hospitality I don't know what I'd be doing right now.

The underlying initiative was announced by the Victorian Government.

Why this kind of partnership works in hospitality

Employment programs in this sector succeed or fail on whether the training attached to them is nationally recognised. A placement without a credential leaves the participant dependent on that one employer's reference. A placement with assessed units leaves them holding something portable.

Nationally recognised training can lead to a Statement of Attainment for completed units or a qualification on completion of the full training product. For nationally recognised training, a Unique Student Identifier (USI) is generally required before a qualification or Statement of Attainment can be issued, unless an applicable exemption applies. See the official USI exemption guidance. A USI is free at usi.gov.au. If you already have one, recover it rather than creating another. Keep your certificate and ask the issuing RTO for a replacement if needed. A USI transcript can help verify reported training, but it is not a guarantee that every credential will appear.

One more practical point on verification, which matters years later when a participant is asked to prove what they hold. Training organisations trade under more than one registered name, and we have six on the RTO 3722 record. A certificate issued under any of them is an RTO 3722 credential. The names and their date ranges are listed at the end of this page.

A placement without units produces a reference. A placement with units produces a record an employer can verify — and, as the award section below sets out, a completed Certificate III does more than that again: in three of the four hospitality awards it sets a floor under the participant's classification.

The ladder Gaston Silva described, in qualification terms

The progression from floor to supervisor to venue manager maps onto a real ladder:

The step that changes the job description rather than the standard of work at the same job is Certificate III to Certificate IV. Three of the nine core units in SIT40422 are human resources units — coaching others in job skills, rostering staff, and leading and managing people. Its other core units cover managing conflict, managing finances within a budget, monitoring work operations, enhancing customer service experiences, working effectively in hospitality service, and implementing and monitoring work health and safety practices. That is the difference between doing a job well and being accountable for other people doing it.

The step that changes the pay classification, though, is the one below it — Certificate III — which is the more relevant fact for someone entering the industry through a program.

One constraint worth stating plainly: SIT50422 and SIT50322 Diploma of Event Management are on our national scope and, according to our current delivery information, are available with us in Victoria only. Certificate III and Certificate IV in Hospitality are available in all eight states and territories, and neither Certificate III has entry requirements. Note that the training.gov.au scope register carries no jurisdiction field, so those state limits come from our own delivery information rather than the national register. What the register does show is that we hold 17 current qualifications, 81 current skill sets and 579 current units, every component at extent "Deliver and assess", with SIR30216 Certificate III in Retail having ended on 28 June 2024. We deliver to AQF 5 and no higher — there is no Advanced Diploma on scope. See how to build a career in hospitality.

How a new starter is actually brought up to speed

The mechanism behind "all the lovely people that trained me to get into hospitality" is not goodwill. It is a unit of competency with named requirements: SITXHRM007 Coach others in job skills, which is core at Certificate III as well as Certificate IV — core in SIT30622, SIT30722, SIT30821 and SIT40422. The training package assumes an operational-level worker will be showing someone else how to do the job. That is exactly what happens to a program participant in their first week, and what they will be doing for the next intake a year later.

Its three elements:

The performance evidence is specific. A candidate must provide on-the-job coaching to two different colleagues, and in each session address identified performance problems or difficulties and rectify or refer them as appropriate, then evaluate the colleague's performance and give constructive feedback. In doing so they must apply clear communication and demonstration of the organisational tasks required, complete the training within commercial time constraints, and apply the six key principles of training:

1. Explanation
2. Demonstration
3. Review
4. Listening to the trainee's explanation
5. Observing and evaluating the trainee's demonstration
6. Providing feedback

The order is the useful part. Explanation and demonstration come first, but three of the six are about the trainee doing the work while the coach watches and responds. Someone who has only been told things has not been coached to the standard the unit describes.

The unit also names the performance problems a coach should expect, and the list reads as though it were written for exactly this kind of program: a breakdown in communication; inappropriate circumstances for coaching; insufficient opportunity to practise; language or cultural barriers; and shyness or lack of confidence. "Insufficient opportunity to practise" is the one the host employer controls, and it is the one most likely to stall a participant returning to work after a long absence.

What the award does for a program participant

This is the part employment programs most often fail to explain to the people going through them — starting with the fact that there is more than one award.

The premises decides which award, not the job title, and in and around hospitality there are four:

Each covers its industry to the exclusion of any other modern award, so exactly one applies to a given host employer. Accommodation businesses of the kind the Accommodation Association represents — hotels, motels, serviced apartments, resorts — sit squarely in MA000009. But two boundaries catch people, and a program that places participants across several venue types will cross them:

• Clubs are not covered by MA000009. Clause 4.4(d)(i) expressly excludes "clubs registered or recognised under State or Territory legislation". A registered club sits under MA000058, and only where it is both registered under a liquor, gaming, associations or corporations statute and operating not-for-profit for the benefit of members and the community (clause 4.3).
• Night clubs are not clubs. A night club is commercial, so it falls under MA000119.

The qualification floor, which exists in three of those four awards

This is the provision that turns a program's training component into money rather than goodwill. A relevant AQF Certificate III or higher, used at work, sets a minimum classification of Level 4:

That matters to a program participant more than to almost anyone else, because someone entering the industry through a placement typically moves between venues in the first couple of years. The floor is waiting in the hospitality award, the restaurant award and the clubs award alike. Only the fast food award has no equivalent provision.

Both conditions have to hold: the qualification must be relevant to the classification the employee is in, and the employee must make use of those competencies in the work.

And under MA000119 the floor is a named trade grade. Schedule A defines Level 4 as "Food and beverage attendant grade 4 (tradesperson)" and "Cook grade 3 (tradesperson)", and the Level 4 rate is that award's standard rate, the figure the rest of the award is calculated from. Under MA000009 the kitchen stream likewise places Level 4 at Cook (tradesperson) grade 3, and Level 4 is that award's own reference point. So for someone who came into hospitality out of long-term unemployment, a completed Certificate III used at work is a documented route to a tradesperson grade without serving an apprenticeship — which is a materially different outcome from a placement that ends in a reference letter.

Three differences to respect, because it is a pay entitlement:

• MA000009 and MA000119 require the employee to make use of the skills and knowledge derived from the Certificate III competencies. Completion alone does not do it.
• MA000058 states the floor for "AQF Certificate III qualifications" without the words "or higher", and adds that the Fair Work Commission may require the employee to demonstrate that they utilise the relevant skills.
• Dispute routes differ: clause 40 under MA000009, clause 34 under MA000119, and referral to the Fair Work Commission under MA000058.

The other MA000009 provisions, as the worked example

Under MA000009, clause 14 requires the employer to classify every employee in accordance with Schedule A. The classification structure is an Introductory level plus Levels 1 to 6, across five streams — food and beverage, kitchen, guest services, clerical and casino gaming.

Two specifics that matter to someone entering the industry through a program:

• Introductory level is time-limited. It applies to an employee entering the industry who does not yet demonstrate the competency requirements of Level 1, for up to three months while training and being assessed, extendable once by mutual agreement by a further three months. Six months is the maximum, after which the employee moves to Level 1. It is not an indefinite holding classification for someone who came in through a program.
• A trainee is a different arrangement. A trainee under a registered training contract is paid under the National Training Wage, not at Introductory level. Which one applies should be clear in writing.

And one more that applies from the first roster: under clause 22, two or more hours in a day at a higher classification attracts the higher rate for the whole day; less than two hours attracts it for the time worked only. Food and beverage attendants grades 2 and 3 are excluded. Keeping a dated record of those shifts supports the higher duties position and becomes the workplace evidence for a later RPL application.

Unlike the Level 4 floor, those are MA000009 provisions and do not carry across. MA000058, MA000119 and MA000003 each have their own Schedule A with their own classification names and numbering, and their own clause numbering for higher duties and award access. So a participant placed in a registered club or a cafe keeps the benefit of the qualification floor but should read that award for everything else.

Under clause 3.3 the employer must make the award and the National Employment Standards available on a noticeboard or by accessible electronic means. No rates are printed on this page — award rates re-set every 1 July, so use the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool.

What the law requires of the placement itself

Employment programs almost always involve a placement, and the safety duties are split, documented and not transferable. Unlike the award, they do not vary by premises type.

• The training organisation must deliver a general safety induction before the placement and hold evidence of it, and must monitor the placement and record that monitoring.
• The host must deliver a site-specific induction on day one and provide written confirmation.
• The placement agreement should specify which tasks the participant may and may not perform, the induction the host will deliver, and the monitoring schedule.

The legal basis differs by state. In Victoria an employer's duty extends to persons who are not employees, which is what reaches a placement student who is not employed by the host. In New South Wales a student gaining work experience is expressly defined as a worker, and section 46 requires every person holding a duty in relation to the same matter to consult, cooperate and coordinate with the others — so in a placement the provider and the host cannot each assume the other handled it. Victoria has no general equivalent to section 46.

The primary duty of care cannot be transferred. Participants also carry their own duties: reasonable care for their own and others' safety, cooperation with the employer's compliance actions, no interference with safety equipment, reporting hazards and incidents, and participating in consultation. The hazards to expect in a hospitality venue: glassware and broken glass, cuts and burns, heavy lifting, repetitive physical work, slips and trips on wet or poorly lit floors, extraction noise, cleaning chemicals, occupational violence and harassment, electrical equipment, cross contamination, and carbon dioxide gas. Controls follow a hierarchy — elimination, substitution, isolation, engineering, administrative, then PPE last. See health and safety best practice in hospitality.

A useful side effect: because a placement is documented by obligation, it produces the cleanest evidence a participant will ever have for recognition of prior learning.

Two credentials a program participant may need before the first shift

An RSA Statement of Attainment is a national training record, but permission to serve alcohol depends on the destination’s rules. NSW permits eligible temporary interstate workers; permanent movers and security or RSA marshal roles must meet NSW training and competency-card requirements, using bridging where eligible. Victoria offers bridging to eligible interstate holders. SA applies approved-provider rules to training from 1 November 2020, with earlier training not required to be repeated solely for that change. QLD and WA require suitable national RSA evidence. Tasmania distinguishes staff from licence holders; the ACT and NT have local currency and refresher requirements. Check the regulator before your first shift. See RSA recognition by jurisdiction, NSW’s rules and SA’s rules.

Food handler training, if the role involves handling food, completed before engaging in a prescribed activity and covering safe handling of food, food contamination, cleaning and sanitising, and personal hygiene. It does not have to be nationally accredited, has no mandated refresher period, and the business is not required to keep records of it. The separate five-year clock belongs to the Food Safety Supervisor certificate, which is an appointment the business makes — required for category one and category two businesses, with the FSS remaining reasonably available. A venue with a kitchen that cooks is category one, which also carries the substantiation records duty: three months, accessible at the premises. See food handling course.

Victorian RSG is free approved training: online modules through RSG Online and venue-arranged sessions with venue support workers. National SITHGAM training does not replace it. See the official training requirements and our RSG guide.

Before enrolment: the pre-training review

Anyone entering training through a program goes through the same pre-enrolment step as anyone else, and it is a regulatory obligation with a named instrument. Standard 2.2 of the Outcome Standards for RTOs requires that "VET students are advised, prior to enrolment, about the suitability of the training product for them, taking into account the student's skills and competencies." Its performance indicators require procedures to review, prior to enrolment, the skills and competencies of prospective students including their language, literacy and numeracy proficiency and digital literacy, and to advise each prospective student whether the product suits them. The review must also take account of individual requirements including physical skills, prior experience, prerequisites and entry requirements.

Name the instrument when checking it. The National Code 2018 has its own Standard 2.2, which governs the assessment of an overseas student's English proficiency, qualifications or work experience for course entry — a different provision for a different cohort.

For a participant coming out of long-term unemployment this is the single most useful conversation in the process, because it is where prior work is put on the table before a training plan is written rather than after. It is also where recognition of prior learning (Standard 1.6) and credit transfer (Standard 1.7) are raised. RPL assesses evidence of prior skills, learning and experience against the unit requirements; credit transfer rests on prior completion of an equivalent training product, evidenced by AQF certification documentation or an authenticated VET transcript, with no reassessment. Both decisions must be documented and made in a way that is fair, transparent, consistent among students and protective of the integrity of the training product. We first verify the evidence and equivalence, check that the units fit your training product, and check for licensing or regulatory restrictions before granting credit. See ASQA’s credit-transfer guidance.

Current funding position

Government programs change, and this announcement should not be read as describing a currently open initiative. What is current is that we hold a Victorian Skills First VET Funding Contract, under which subsidised training is available to eligible Victorian learners. The structure:

• Australian citizen, permanent visa holder, or New Zealand citizen.
• Enrol and commence within the contract period — for the current contract, to 31 December 2026 inclusive.
• All training and assessment undertaken while physically present in Victoria or in a listed border-region postcode. There is no general online or interstate concession; the one exception is a temporary interstate or overseas practical placement, during which online training and assessment is capped at no more than 50% of total scheduled hours.
• Per calendar year: a maximum of two skill sets, a maximum of two AQF qualifications, and a maximum of two programs at a time — with programs scheduled to commence later in the same calendar year counting towards those limits.
• Subsidy is also affected by the level of qualification already held.

The provider determines eligibility and holds the evidence for that determination, so it is a question to ask directly and early. The authoritative reference for an individual position is the Victorian Government's own eligibility indicator, not any provider's website including this one. Our New South Wales delivery is fee-for-service and unsubsidised. This page carries no fees.

Concessions and fee waivers, which are not discretionary

Subsidised is not the same as free, and two separate mechanisms reduce what an eligible student pays. Neither is at the provider's discretion, which is worth knowing because both are routinely treated as favours to be requested.

Concessions. Providers must offer a concession to eligible students, and the concession fee is capped at no more than 20% of the standard tuition fee. That is a mandatory proportional reduction under the funding contract, not a discount a provider may decline to give. No amount is quoted here, because the cap is a percentage of whatever the standard tuition fee for the program happens to be.

Full fee waivers. A full waiver is complete exemption from tuition fees, not a reduction, and it must be offered to four named groups:

Two of those four are cohorts an employment program of this kind encounters directly. Providers are compensated for concessions and waivers through loadings, which is why the obligation sits on the provider rather than on the participant to negotiate.

To ask about current options, use a course enquiry or lodge an expression of interest. For the wider picture see launch your hospitality career with Victoria's government-funded training and what career paths a hospitality qualification can open up.

About us

We are Complete Hospitality Training — legal name Complete Hospitality Training (Vic) Pty Ltd, RTO 3722, CRICOS 04242E, ABN 27 006 947 262, ACN 006 947 262. Registered as RTO 3722 since 1 June 1994. Regulated nationally by ASQA since 8 September 2017, when registration transferred from the Victorian regulator (VRQA). The current registration period runs 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2032, exercised by ASQA under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011.

Level 3, 28 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, and 410 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010. Contact melbourne@cht.edu.au or +61 3 9654 1554.

Trading names on the RTO 3722 record. Five are current — Victorian Bar School (from 1 June 1994, the original), Complete Hospitality Training (2011), Ready Serve Achieve Melbourne (2018), Coffee School by CHT (2021) and Alchemy Institute of Australia (2024). A sixth, Complete Healthcare Training, ran from 24 October 2023 to 19 April 2025 and has ended. A certificate issued under any of those names is an RTO 3722 credential — which is worth knowing if the name on your paperwork from a past program does not match the provider you are naming.

We link to the relevant course and regulatory sources in this guide. Check those sources for current requirements, and confirm course availability, delivery, fees and entry requirements with us before enrolling.

Source records and further guidance

We link the unit records and regulator guidance relevant to this page below. Check the current source before making an enrolment, licensing or employment decision.

• SIT40422 Certificate IV in Hospitality
• SIT30622 Certificate III in Hospitality
• SIT30722 Certificate III in Hospitality (Restaurant Front of House)
• SITXHRM007 Coach others in job skills
• SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery
• Responsible Service of Alcohol training requirements (Victoria)
• Responsible Service of Alcohol training requirements (Australian Capital Territory)
• Food Standards Code — Standards 3.2.2 and 3.2.2A (food safety practices and food safety management tools)
• Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 (MA000009)
• Restaurant Industry Award 2020 (MA000119)
• Skills First (Victoria) — VET Funding Contract obligations
• National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 — Standards 1 to 11
• Outcome Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2025 (full text)
• Unique Student Identifier (USI) requirements for RTOs