Melbourne’s Best Bar and Barista Course 2025: Fast-Track Your Hospitality Skills in Just 6 Days

"Best" is a marketing word and no provider's own page can settle it. The headline above also carries a scheduled course length, which changes from intake to intake — treat it as a marketed format and confirm the current dates and duration directly rather than relying on a page.

What follows is more useful: the criteria that actually separate a good combined bar-and-barista short course from a poor one, and the accredited units that sit behind each half of it. Apply them to CHT and to everyone else.

Why the combination makes sense

Bar and barista skills sit together because venues increasingly need both. A cafe that serves wine in the evening, a bar that does daytime coffee, a hotel that needs staff across both — someone who can do each is more rosterable than someone who can do one.

It also front-loads the credentials that gate entry-level hospitality work.

The units behind each half

This is the part worth understanding before you compare prices, because unit codes are the only thing in this market that means something fixed.

Unit	Title	What its assessment requires
SITHFAB025	Prepare and serve espresso coffee	Ten named beverages, each on three occasions, within commercial timeframes, correcting extraction when it drifts
SITHFAB024	Prepare and serve non-alcoholic beverages	At least six beverages on three occasions each, across three service periods including one peak
SITHFAB021	Provide responsible service of alcohol	The one legally compulsory element; operates under eight jurisdictions' separate rules
SITHFAB023	Operate a bar	Three service periods including one peak, covering setting up, operating and closing down the bar
SITHFAB022	Clean and tidy bar areas	Cleaning public bar areas and commercial bar equipment on three different occasions
SITHFAB030	Prepare and serve cocktails	Three service periods, and two cocktails by each of six methods — a minimum of twelve preparations
SITHFAB027	Serve food and beverage	Five service periods, including one peak
SITHFAB034	Provide table service of food and beverage	Twelve service periods, with full menu advice in every one

The ten espresso beverages are fixed by SITHFAB025 and not chosen by the provider:

Beverage	Beverage
Caffe latte	Piccolo latte
Cappuccino	Mocha
Espresso (short black)	Ristretto
Flat white	Short macchiato
Long black	Long macchiato

Look at that table again and note the pattern: the accredited system measures hospitality competence in service periods and occasions, not in days. That is why a course length is a weak proxy for what you will be able to do at the end, and why "six days" answers a different question from "can you hold quality through a peak".

"Bar skills" is not a unit code — SITHFAB023 is

Worth checking specifically, because a bar component is where marketing language and unit codes diverge most. The unit that covers running a bar is SITHFAB023 Operate a bar, and its performance evidence is broader than pouring: safe and efficient bar operation across three different service periods including a peak, covering setting up the bar, operating it and closing it down; preparing and serving both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to customer requests within the required timeframe; using correct equipment, ingredients and standard measures; and dealing with a diverse range of customers well enough to determine their preferences and offer suitable products clearly and professionally.

SITHFAB022 Clean and tidy bar areas is the unit nobody markets and it carries real content — cleaning public bar areas and commercial bar equipment on three different occasions to the applicable schedule, correct manual handling when lifting heavy equipment, environmentally sound disposal of bar waste, recyclables and hazardous substances, signage while work is in progress, and knowledge of the potential dangers associated with inert gases used in beverage dispensing systems. A non-accredited bar course has no obligation to cover any of that.

The sequencing matters too, and it is the thing a short-course timetable most often gets wrong:

Unit	Prerequisite units
SITHFAB021 Provide responsible service of alcohol	—
SITHFAB030 Prepare and serve cocktails	—
SITHFAB022 Clean and tidy bar areas	SITXFSA005
SITHFAB024 Prepare and serve non-alcoholic beverages	SITXFSA005
SITHFAB025 Prepare and serve espresso coffee	SITXFSA005
SITHFAB027 Serve food and beverage	SITXFSA005
SITHFAB023 Operate a bar	SITHFAB021 and SITXFSA005
SITHFAB034 Provide table service of food and beverage	SITHFAB021 and SITXFSA005

SITHFAB023 and SITHFAB034 each carry two prerequisites, and it is the same pair. That makes RSA an academic prerequisite to the bar operation unit rather than only a licensing requirement — it gates SITHFAB023 whatever the venue's licence status. And SITXFSA005 belongs first in any bar-and-barista plan, because most of the beverage units in the food and beverage stream sit behind it.

The four checks that matter

1. Is RSA included, and does it satisfy your state?

RSA is one unit, SITHFAB021, and being a registered training organisation is not sufficient everywhere. The differences between jurisdictions are larger than most packages admit:

Jurisdiction	Interstate certificate accepted?	Expiry	Notes
Victoria	Use a current Victorian RSA certificate. Eligible interstate holders can apply for free bridging: approved original training within three years, with the online-course residence condition. Specific exemptions apply at qualifying producer events.	Victorian RSA Refresher every three years.	Use a current Victorian RSA certificate. Eligible interstate holders can apply for free bridging: approved original training within three years, with the online-course residence condition. Specific exemptions apply at qualifying producer events.
New South Wales	Eligible temporary interstate workers can use approved interstate RSA. Permanent movers and security or RSA marshal roles must meet NSW training and competency-card requirements; eligible holders can use bridging instead of the full NSW RSA course.	NSW competency card: five years. Interstate concessions have separate eligibility and certificate-age requirements.	Eligible temporary interstate workers can use approved interstate RSA. Permanent movers and security or RSA marshal roles must meet NSW training and competency-card requirements; eligible holders can use bridging instead of the full NSW RSA course.
South Australia	Check provider approval and training date. Training from 1 November 2020 must be through a Commissioner-approved RTO. Earlier RSA training need not be repeated solely because of that approval change.	No routine RSA renewal period stated in the cited CBS guidance; check applicable licence conditions.	Check provider approval and training date. Training from 1 November 2020 must be through a Commissioner-approved RTO. Earlier RSA training need not be repeated solely because of that approval change.
Queensland	Accepted where the evidence is a Statement of Attainment for the nationally accredited Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course. An attendance certificate is insufficient.	Valid RSA training generally has no expiry; training completed before 2002 must be replaced.	Accepted where the evidence is a Statement of Attainment for the nationally accredited Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course. An attendance certificate is insufficient.
Western Australia	Provide the RSA certificate showing completion of the nationally accredited course. An interstate RSA card alone is not accepted as evidence.	Keep the RSA certificate as training evidence; approved-manager cards have separate renewal requirements.	Provide the RSA certificate showing completion of the nationally accredited course. An interstate RSA card alone is not accepted as evidence.
Northern Territory	Certificates from an RTO registered to deliver RSA are accepted, including interstate certificates. Check certificate age and the NT refresher requirements.	NT guidance gives a three-year limit for interstate certificates and directs holders to a refresher; check current renewal guidance.	Certificates from an RTO registered to deliver RSA are accepted, including interstate certificates. Check certificate age and the NT refresher requirements.
Australian Capital Territory	Valid interstate RSA certificates are recognised, subject to the ACT’s three-year currency limit and ACT-approved refresher requirements.	Three years from course completion, then an ACT-approved refresher.	Valid interstate RSA certificates are recognised, subject to the ACT’s three-year currency limit and ACT-approved refresher requirements.
Tasmania	Interstate certificates can be accepted under the Commissioner’s conditions. Requirements differ for employees and liquor licence holders; check the appropriate role.	No RSA expiry date in the regulator’s FAQ; an employer may request updated training.	Interstate certificates can be accepted under the Commissioner’s conditions. Requirements differ for employees and liquor licence holders; check the appropriate role.

Current regulator guidance: NSW, VIC, SA, QLD, WA, NT, ACT, TAS.

If you already hold an interstate RSA certificate, Victoria will not take it as it stands. Liquor Control Victoria states you cannot rely on an interstate RSA certificate to supply alcohol in a Victorian licensed venue or location; you complete the free bridging course, RSA Refresher, which gives you a Victorian RSA certificate. Separate exemptions cover interstate staff supplying alcohol at a producer's event. The same free RSA Refresher is what keeps a Victorian certificate current — every three years, for anyone who holds one, not only for licensees.

In Victoria the provider has to be on LCV's own list. A course Liquor Control Victoria has not approved produces only an RSA Statement of Attainment, which does not allow you to supply alcohol in Victorian licensed venues or locations. We do appear on LCV's published list of approved RSA course providers, in the in-person, one-day RSA course provider group for Melbourne, on a list LCV records as updated 5 August 2026.

That approval is narrower than it first looks, and the distinction is the single most useful thing on this page for anyone comparing Melbourne providers. LCV approves by delivery mode and publishes two separate lists. A provider on the in-person list may deliver its course in person or online using a live meeting platform. A provider on the online list may deliver self-paced online. They are different lists and a provider sits on one or the other. We are on the in-person list and are not on the online, self-paced list — so "LCV-approved" is not a single undifferentiated status, and the mode you are buying matters. LCV also publishes a wordmark for approved providers to display, and tells readers to look for it.

What the approved Victorian course actually contains is published too, and it is more than the national unit. LCV states the approved Victorian RSA course includes SITHFAB021 plus topics specific to Victoria, including Victorian liquor laws, drink spiking, ID checks and preventing secondary supply, the use of prone restraint — holding a person face down on the ground — harm minimisation strategies, and compliance and enforcement. If a Melbourne course outline does not reach those topics, that is a fair question to ask.

The Victorian second stage is the detail most packages omit. Completing SITHFAB021 does not, by itself, give you a Victorian RSA certificate. After the unit you must complete the Liquor Control Victoria Learning Hub pre-training survey, the SHARPR module — Sexual Harassment and Assault: Recognise, Prevent and Respond — and a post-training survey. Until those are done, the certificate does not exist. That module is part of the RSA Refresher too, not just initial certification. If a Melbourne package does not mention this, ask about it before paying.

Two further Victorian points worth knowing. Under-18s may complete RSA training in Victoria, but must be 18 to serve alcohol. And once you are working, your employer keeps a copy of the RSA Certificate of Completion on site for liquor inspectors or Victoria Police and can be fined if it does not — you do not need to give them the Statement of Attainment the course provider issues. Advanced RSA training is a separate requirement that applies to some licence types only.

And because Queensland and Western Australia operate no approved-provider register at all, any course advertised as "OLGR-approved" or "DLGSC-approved" is describing a scheme that does not exist. That is a straightforward red flag. See beware of RSA course scams, /rsa and RSA Melbourne.

One related Victorian point: Responsible Service of Gambling is free government training in Victoria and no registered training organisation can provide it, ourselves included. If a package offers to sell you Victorian RSG, that is wrong. See responsible service of gambling and how do I get my bar and gaming licence.

2. How much machine time will you personally get?

This is the single biggest difference between a real barista course and a demonstration. If one machine is shared across a group, most of the group watches.

Ask the provider what the machine-to-participant ratio will be for your intake, and how much hands-on time you get. That is a specific, answerable question. Published coffee counts and student ratios are marketing figures, so treat the answer you get in writing for your own booking as the real one.

It helps to know precisely what the accredited standard settles here, because it is easy to assume it settles more than it does.

What SITHFAB025's assessment conditions do require. Access to a workstation with an industry-current commercial-grade espresso machine and coffee grinders; tampers, tamp mats, a flat edge for levelling a dosed basket, a blind or blank filter basket, milk foaming jugs, measuring equipment, cleaning brushes and cloths; service-ware for each beverage type, including espresso and standard cups, saucers, mugs, glasses and takeaway cups and lids; a commercial range of coffee beans and ground coffee and milk and alternative products; and the documentation — equipment manufacturer instructions, cleaning and maintenance procedures for the machines and grinders, commercial beverage menus, price lists, standard recipes currently used by the hospitality industry, and safety data sheets for cleaning chemicals or plain English documents interpreting them. Assessment may be in an industry workplace or a simulated industry environment set up for the purpose, which is what makes a training cafe or training bar a legitimate setting.

What it does not require. There is no machine-to-participant ratio in the unit. What it requires instead is an industry-realistic ratio of staff to customers during assessment — a test of service pressure, not of equipment sharing. So no provider can point at a standard on this question, which is exactly why the answer has to come from the provider, for your booking, in writing.

3. Is the barista component accredited, or not?

Many barista courses carry no unit code at all. That is not fraud, but it matters:

	What it produces	Credit-transfers?
Nationally recognised — built on SITHFAB025, or the SITSS00080 Espresso Machine Operation skill set	A Statement of Attainment, against your USI	Yes, into SIT30622 or SIT30722
Non-accredited	A certificate of attendance	No

Ask for the code, and check which code. SITHFAB025 is the espresso unit. SITHFAB024 covers the wider drinks range and its beverage list is described as including non-espresso coffees — so a package offering only SITHFAB024 is not an espresso course.

SITHFAB025 also carries SITXFSA005 Use hygienic practices for food safety as a prerequisite, which must be completed before the espresso unit. The SITSS00080 skill set includes it: SITHFAB025, SITXCCS014 Provide service to customers, SITXFIN007 Process financial transactions and SITXFSA005.

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. We check the issuing RTO and the unit codes when verifying a credential; a USI request alone does not establish whether a provider is legitimate.

Be alert to the vocabulary too. "Barista master class" is a delivery format with no unit code. Latte art is not an accredited unit and is not separately assessed even inside SITHFAB025. Coffee appreciation is not an accredited unit. All three can be good training; none is a credential.

4. Is food handling covered?

Both bar and cafe staff handle ice, fruit, milk and garnishes. A venue that makes and serves unpackaged food that is both potentially hazardous and ready to eat is a category one business under Standard 3.2.2A, in force since 8 December 2023, and food handlers must complete food handler training, or possess skills and knowledge commensurate with the activity, before carrying out a prescribed activity.

It is frequently not included in a bar-and-barista package. Since SITXFSA005 is a prerequisite for the espresso unit anyway — and for the bar operation, bar cleaning, non-alcoholic beverage, food and beverage service and table service units — its absence is worth querying twice. See food handling and virtual food handling SITXFSA005.

The usual clarifications: food handler training does not have to be nationally accredited, Standard 3.2.2A mandates no refresher period, and the business is not required to keep records of it. Category one businesses must keep substantiation records for three months, accessible at the premises. The five-year clock belongs to the separate Food Safety Supervisor certificate, which a licensed venue will also need someone to hold.

What a course advertisement is required to tell you

Since this page opens by saying "best" is a marketing word, it is worth knowing that RTO marketing is not an unregulated space. Under the Compliance Requirements that accompany the Outcome Standards, an advertisement or marketing material for a registered training organisation must:

Include the organisation's registration code, or a link to its registration on the National Register
Accurately represent its services, and specifically distinguish the training and assessment that will result in AQF certification from any other training it or a third party delivers — which is the regulatory version of check 3 above
Where it names a training product, use the code and title exactly as published on the National Register, and accurately represent what is on the organisation's scope of registration
Only refer to a superseded training product while it remains on scope and new enrolments are permitted
Only represent that completing a training product leads to a licensed or regulated outcome where the relevant industry regulator has confirmed it — which is precisely why "OLGR-approved" is a compliance problem and not merely sloppy wording
Give accurate information about any financial support arrangements available
Not imply a connection with another person without that person's consent
Identify which services a third party or engaged expert delivers, including where a third party is recruiting students or delivering the training and assessment

There is also an express prohibition on guarantees. An RTO must not guarantee that you will successfully complete a training product, that you can complete it in a manner inconsistent with its requirements, or that you will obtain a particular employment outcome where that outcome is not within the organisation's control. And under Standard 2.1 all information given to students — by the RTO or by third parties acting for it — must be clear, accurate and current, with the material you need provided before you enrol or before any fees are payable.

So when you compare two Melbourne courses, several of the checks above are not merely prudent. They are things the provider is required to have got right.

What a short course will not give you

Speed. SITHFAB025 requires beverages prepared within commercial timeframes, and the bar units count service periods — three for SITHFAB023, five for SITHFAB027, twelve for SITHFAB034. Those numbers exist because real service is the only thing that builds pace. No short course substitutes for it, and this page will not put a figure on how long it takes because the honest answer depends on the venue you land in.

A protected title. There is no accredited "mixologist" credential and no protected title. The accredited cocktail unit is SITHFAB030, and its bar is concrete: three service periods, and two cocktails by each of six methods. See how long does it take to become a certified mixologist.

Award knowledge, which is worth having anyway, and which is more complicated than most course pages admit.

Which award will cover you

Your pay depends on the premises, not the job title. The same job — bar attendant, barista, food and beverage attendant — sits under a different award and a different pay table depending on where you work. Four awards divide the field, each covering its industry to the exclusion of the others:

Award	Code	Premises	Level 4 floor for a Cert III?
Hospitality Industry (General)	MA000009	Hotels, pubs, taverns, motels, resorts, casinos, caterers, accommodation	Yes
Registered and Licensed Clubs	MA000058	Not-for-profit registered clubs — RSL, bowls, golf, sporting, community	Yes
Restaurant Industry	MA000119	Standalone restaurants and cafes, night clubs, reception centres, roadhouses	Yes
Fast Food Industry	MA000003	Takeaway and food-court outlets, food sold mainly to be eaten away from the counter	No

For anyone taking a bar-and-barista course, two of those lines matter more than the rest and both run against intuition.

Clubs are not covered by MA000009. Clause 4.4(d)(i) of the hospitality award expressly excludes clubs registered or recognised under State or Territory legislation — they are the one industry it carves out by name. A club falls under MA000058, and only if it is both registered under a liquor, gaming, associations or corporations statute and established and operating on a not-for-profit basis for the benefit of members and the community. A commercially owned venue calling itself a club is not a club for award purposes.

Night clubs are not covered by MA000058. A night club is commercial, so it sits in MA000119 with restaurants and cafes. If you finish a bar course and take work in a Melbourne night club, the restaurant award is the one to read.

For the coffee side, the split between MA000119 and MA000003 turns on sit-down service, not the menu — a food-court counter is fast food, the cafe with tables is not.

What the qualification is worth, and the one place it is worth nothing

Under MA000009, MA000119 and MA000058, a relevant AQF Certificate III or higher, used at work, sets a minimum classification of Level 4. Under MA000003, the fast food award, there is no equivalent provision.

For a barista that sharpens into something concrete: hold SITHFAB025 inside a Certificate III and work in a sit-down cafe and the Level 4 floor applies, because the cafe is MA000119. Do the same work at a food-court coffee counter and it does not, because the food court is MA000003. Same skills, same certificate, different award, different floor.

The floor is not automatic on completion. MA000009 and MA000119 both require you to make use of the skills and knowledge derived from those Certificate III competencies in the work you do. MA000058 words it as Certificate III qualifications relevant to the classification you are employed in, without "or higher", and allows the Fair Work Commission to require you to demonstrate that you use the relevant skills. Disputes go to clause 40 under MA000009, clause 34 under MA000119, or the Fair Work Commission under MA000058.

Being classified too low is where most hospitality underpayment originates. No pay rates appear on this page — award rates re-set every 1 July, so take current figures from the Fair Work Ombudsman using your venue's award code. See superannuation, tax and payslips.

What you can verify independently

So you can check rather than take a claim:


RTO code	3722, held since 1 June 1994
Current registration period	1 July 2025 to 30 June 2032, exercised by the Australian Skills Quality Authority under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011
Legal name	Complete Hospitality Training (Vic) Pty Ltd
ABN	27 006 947 262
ACN	006 947 262
CRICOS	04242E

We have been a registered training organisation since 1994. It was registered by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority for the first twenty-three years, and transferred to the national regulator, ASQA, on 8 September 2017. Longevity is not the same thing as quality, but it is checkable, which is more than most claims on a course page are.

Our scope of registration carries 17 current qualifications, 81 current skill sets and 579 current units, every one of them at the extent Deliver and assess — meaning we both train and assess, rather than assessing work delivered elsewhere.

The skill sets relevant to bar and barista work are:

Skill set	Title
SITSS00071	Responsible service of alcohol
SITSS00075	Beverage Advice
SITSS00080	Espresso Machine Operation
SITSS00094	Sommelier

Also on scope, and relevant if food safety is part of what you need: SITSS00068 Food Handling Skill Set, SITSS00069 Food Safety Supervision Skill Set and SITSS00070 Hospitality Compliance Skill Set.

That list is worth knowing because the marketed course pages are a subset of what an RTO can actually deliver. If the combination you want is not advertised, ask whether it can be assembled from scope.

One more thing you can check, and it separates a competent barista trainer from an enthusiastic one. SITHFAB025's assessment conditions require that assessors have worked in industry for at least three years, applying the skills and knowledge of that unit. That is a floor set by the unit itself rather than by the provider, and it is a reasonable thing to ask about.

The name on a certificate may not say "CHT"

This matters if you are checking your own certificate, or an applicant's. Five trading names are current on the national register, and all of them are RTO 3722:

Trading name	In use from
Victorian Bar School	1 June 1994 — the original name, same date as the RTO code
Complete Hospitality Training	12 December 2011
Ready Serve Achieve Melbourne	6 March 2018
Coffee School by CHT	20 May 2021
Alchemy Institute of Australia	12 September 2024

Coffee School by CHT is the one to recognise on a coffee page: a credential issued under that name is an RTO 3722 credential, not a separate provider's.

One further name has been retired. Complete Healthcare Training was in use from 24 October 2023 to 19 April 2025. Anyone holding a certificate issued in that name during that window is holding an RTO 3722 credential, even though the name is no longer current. That is worth knowing before anyone concludes a document does not check out.

A second register, and a longer list of names

Two registers record trading names for the same business and they do not record the same set, which is a common source of confusion when someone tries to verify a provider. The training.gov.au organisation record holds the five current trading names above. The Australian Business Register separately records seven current registered business names against the same legal entity, and two of them do not appear on the training register at all:

Registered business name	Registered from
COMPLETE HOSPITALITY TRAINING	12 December 2011
THE COFFEE SCHOOL	25 November 2020
Coffee School by CHT	20 May 2021
Melbourne Barista	14 June 2017
Victorian Bar School	6 March 2018
Ready Serve Achieve Melbourne	6 March 2018
Alchemy Institute of Australia	12 September 2024

So THE COFFEE SCHOOL and Melbourne Barista are registered business names of the same legal entity as Complete Hospitality Training. If you encounter bar training, coffee training or RSA sold under any of those names, you are dealing with RTO 3722. That is genuinely useful when comparing what look like competing Melbourne providers.

The register also records, for ABN 27 006 947 262: entity name COMPLETE HOSPITALITY TRAINING (VIC.) PTY. LTD., entity type Australian private company, ABN active from 22 May 2000, GST registered from 1 July 2000, ACN 006 947 262, and a main business location in VIC 3000. Note that the legal entity name carries "(VIC.)" and "PTY. LTD." — the shorter name used in marketing is a registered business name, not the entity name, and both are correct in their own place.

Two cautions on reading those dates. The business-name registration dates differ between the two registers for the same name — Victorian Bar School, for instance, dates from 1994 as a training-register trading name and from 2018 as a registered business name — because the registers record different things. And the ABN and GST dates are facts about registration, not about trading history. Neither register supports a statement about when coffee or bar training began.

Registration details, scope, trading names and unit titles can all be verified on the national register, business names and ABN details on the Australian Business Register, and Victorian RSA provider approval on Liquor Control Victoria's own list. Do all three. A provider's own page is not evidence of any of them.

Where to look

Offering	What it is
Bartending course	The bar side
Barista coffee course	The coffee side
Hospitality package	The bundled option
Barista master class	A delivery format, not a credential
RSA Melbourne	The compulsory element, Victorian delivery
Food handling	The prerequisite, and the legal obligation

About us

We are Complete Hospitality Training, RTO 3722, CRICOS 04242E. 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.

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.

Is a combined bar and barista course cheaper than buying separately?

Usually, but confirm exactly what is included — particularly RSA, the food safety unit and whether the barista component is accredited. This page does not print prices because a stale fee is worse than none.

How long does the course actually take?

Scheduled length varies by intake. The more useful measure is what the units require: ten espresso beverages on three occasions each, and, for the bar units, a set number of service periods. Confirm current dates directly.

Which unit covers running a bar?

SITHFAB023 Operate a bar — three service periods including a peak, covering setting up, operating and closing down the bar, and serving both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages within the required timeframe. SITHFAB022 Clean and tidy bar areas and SITHFAB030 Prepare and serve cocktails are separate units. "Bar skills" is not a code.

Which units have to be done first?

SITXFSA005 is a prerequisite to SITHFAB022, SITHFAB023, SITHFAB024, SITHFAB025, SITHFAB027 and SITHFAB034, so it goes first. SITHFAB021 is the second prerequisite to SITHFAB023 and SITHFAB034 — so RSA has to precede the bar operation unit, regardless of where you will work.

How long have you been registered?

Since 1 June 1994, first by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority and, since 8 September 2017, by the national regulator ASQA. The current registration period runs to 30 June 2032.

My certificate says a different provider name — is it still CHT?

Probably. Five trading names are current on the training register, including Coffee School by CHT, and the Australian Business Register records seven current registered business names for the same legal entity, adding THE COFFEE SCHOOL and Melbourne Barista. All are RTO 3722. Complete Healthcare Training was also a CHT trading name between October 2023 and April 2025, so certificates in that name are genuine CHT credentials even though the name has been retired.

Are you an LCV-approved RSA provider?

Yes, on the in-person list — the Melbourne one-day RSA course provider group, on a list Liquor Control Victoria records as updated 5 August 2026. LCV approves by delivery mode: the in-person list allows delivery in person or online by live meeting platform, and self-paced online providers appear on a separate list that we are not on.

What is in the Victorian RSA course beyond the national unit?

LCV states the approved Victorian course includes SITHFAB021 plus Victoria-specific topics, including Victorian liquor laws, drink spiking, ID checks and preventing secondary supply, use of prone restraint, harm minimisation strategies, and compliance and enforcement.

Will it get me a job?

It gives you the credentials venues screen for. Availability for early mornings and weekends matters nearly as much. Note that a registered training organisation is expressly prohibited from guaranteeing you a particular employment outcome where that outcome is not within its control — so a course that promises one is making a claim it is not allowed to make.

Does the barista part count toward a qualification?

Only if it carries a unit code, and for espresso that code is SITHFAB025. It then credit-transfers into SIT30622 or SIT30722 as an elective.

What exactly does SITHFAB025 assess?

Ten named espresso beverages, each on three separate occasions, within commercial timeframes, with extraction adjusted and corrected as needed.

Does SITHFAB025 have a prerequisite?

Yes, SITXFSA005 Use hygienic practices for food safety, completed before the espresso unit.

Does the unit guarantee me my own machine?

No. It requires the provider to give assessment access to a workstation with an industry-current commercial espresso machine and grinders, and to maintain an industry-realistic ratio of staff to customers — a service-pressure test, not an equipment-sharing ratio. There is no machine-to-participant ratio in the unit, so ask for yours in writing.

What experience must a barista assessor have?

SITHFAB025's assessment conditions require assessors to have worked in industry for at least three years, applying the skills and knowledge of that unit.

Which bar and coffee skill sets do you hold on scope?

SITSS00071 Responsible service of alcohol, SITSS00075 Beverage Advice, SITSS00080 Espresso Machine Operation and SITSS00094 Sommelier, among 81 current skill sets in total.

Is my RSA valid in another state?

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 (/rsa/), NSW’s rules (https://www.nsw.gov.au/business-and-economy/liquor-and-gaming/training/rsa-bridging) and SA’s rules (https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/sections/LGL/RSA-approved-providers).

How often does a Victorian RSA certificate need renewing?

Every three years, and it applies to anyone holding one, not only licensees — the free RSA Refresher course is what keeps the certificate current.

What is the extra Victorian RSA step?

After the unit: the Liquor Control Victoria Learning Hub pre-training survey, the Sexual Harassment and Assault: Recognise, Prevent and Respond module and a post-training survey. The RSA certificate does not exist until those are complete, and that module is included in the RSA Refresher as well.

Can someone under 18 do RSA training in Victoria?

Yes, training is open to under-18s, but you must be 18 to serve alcohol.

Is any RSA course "OLGR-approved" or "DLGSC-approved"?

No. Queensland and Western Australia operate no approved-provider register, so those phrases describe a scheme that does not exist. They are also a compliance problem: marketing may only claim a licensed or regulated outcome where the relevant industry regulator has confirmed it.

What must a course advertisement include?

The RTO's registration code or a link to its National Register entry, the training product code and title exactly as published there, accurate representation of what is on scope, accurate information about financial support, and a clear distinction between training that leads to AQF certification and training that does not.

Can I buy Victorian RSG training?

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 (https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/safer-communities/gambling/responsible-service-of-gaming-training) and our RSG guide (/courses/responsible-service-of-gambling-rsg-melbourne/).

Which award will cover me after the course?

It depends on the premises, not the job: MA000009 for hotels, pubs, taverns, resorts and casinos; MA000058 for not-for-profit registered clubs; MA000119 for standalone restaurants, cafes and night clubs; MA000003 for takeaway and food-court outlets.

If I work in a club, is that the hospitality award?

No. MA000009 clause 4.4(d)(i) expressly excludes clubs registered or recognised under State or Territory legislation. A registered not-for-profit club sits under MA000058.

Is a night club covered by the clubs award?

No. A night club is commercial, not a not-for-profit registered club, so it sits under MA000119.

Will a Certificate III set a minimum pay classification?

Under MA000009, MA000119 and MA000058, a relevant AQF Certificate III or higher used at work sets a minimum classification of Level 4. Under MA000003, the fast food award, there is no equivalent provision — so the floor applies in a sit-down cafe and not at a food-court counter.

Is the Level 4 floor automatic once I hold the qualification?

No. MA000009 and MA000119 require you to make use of the skills and knowledge derived from the Certificate III competencies, and MA000058 allows the Fair Work Commission to require you to demonstrate that you use the relevant skills.

Is latte art part of the accredited assessment?

No. It is not in SITHFAB025's performance or knowledge evidence, and there is no accredited latte art unit.

Is a barista master class a qualification?

No. It is a delivery format with no unit or qualification code behind it.

How many cocktails does the cocktail unit require?

SITHFAB030 requires three service periods and two cocktails by each of six methods, so a minimum of twelve preparations.

Do I need food handler training for bar work?

If you handle ice, fruit or garnishes in a business making and serving unpackaged potentially hazardous ready-to-eat food, food handler training or commensurate skills and knowledge is required before you carry out a prescribed activity. It does not have to be accredited.