Securing Work after Education

Three documents decide whether a hospitality graduate's first application survives the shortlist: a Statement of Attainment or qualification, a current RSA valid in the state they will work in, and a USI transcript that lets the employer verify both. CV layout and interview manner matter, but they come second to whether the credentials check out. This post first appeared on our news page in May 2022; the mechanics below are the ones that still govern the transition.

Turn training into a credible application

The original job-search guide advises graduates to update their CV with the actual course and any genuine placement experience, then tailor it to each role. Show transferable teamwork, service, problem-solving and attention-to-detail examples from earlier work. Use a professional online profile if it helps the roles you seek, and expect to build experience before moving into senior positions. The credential checks below help you describe your training accurately; a qualification does not guarantee an offer.

What to hold before applying

Document	What it is	Why the employer asks
Statement of Attainment or qualification	Issued by the RTO for completed units; does not expire, and partial completion still yields one	Proof of the competencies claimed on the CV
USI transcript	The learner's authoritative national record under the Student Identifiers Act 2014	Lets the employer confirm the RTO actually issued what the certificate says
RSA	Built on SITHFAB021, plus the destination state's own recognition rules	Must be held before the first shift serving alcohol
Food handler training record	Not legally required to be kept by the business, but useful to you	Shows you can start on a prescribed activity immediately

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. You can obtain and share your transcript with an employer; access is subject to the USI system’s permissions.

One more verification point. Training organisations trade under more than one registered name, and we have six on the RTO 3722 record — including Complete Healthcare Training, which ran to 19 April 2025 and has ended. A certificate issued under any of them is an RTO 3722 credential. If the provider name on your paperwork does not match the name you give an employer, that is usually the explanation. The list is at the end of this page.

The RSA question an interviewer will actually ask

"Is your RSA valid here?" There is no national RSA, so the honest answer depends entirely on where the venue trades.

Jurisdiction	Position on an interstate RSA	Expiry
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.
NSW	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.
SA	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.
QLD	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.
WA	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.
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.
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.
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.

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

So a graduate who trained in Queensland and is applying in Sydney or Melbourne has a problem, and one who trained in Victoria and is applying in Perth does not. Work this out before the interview, not in it. See RSA.

The Food Safety Supervisor point, and the honest disclosure attached to it

Standard 3.2.2A requires a Food Safety Supervisor to be appointed for both category one and category two food businesses, before a prescribed activity begins. The FSS must remain reasonably available — onsite or easily contacted — and must hold a certificate issued within the immediately preceding five years.

Note which category most hospitality falls into, because this is routinely stated backwards. Category one is a business that processes unpackaged potentially hazardous food into food that is both potentially hazardous and ready to eat: restaurants, cafes, pubs, bakeries, hospitals, aged care, childcare. If it has a kitchen and cooks, it is category one. Category two is retail sale of ready-to-eat food the business did not make — slicing, weighing, repacking, reheating and hot-holding do not count as making it. Only category one carries the substantiation records duty, and those records are kept three months after being made, accessible at the premises.

Cooks and supervisors applying in New South Wales should note one more thing. NSW issues its own state FSS certificate, requires the RTO to be approved by the NSW Food Authority under section 106H of the *Food Act 2003***, and mandates state content covering allergen management, cleaning and sanitising, safe egg handling and Food Act offences. **We are not on that approved provider list, so we cannot issue the NSW Food Safety Supervisor certificate and an NSW venue needing one will look elsewhere for that specific document. Related to that: the classic error is treating the national Statement of Attainment as the FSS certificate. An NSW-approved RTO issues two separate documents, and keeping only the Statement of Attainment does not satisfy section 106G. See what food safety certificate do I need and Food Safety Supervisor.

How employers verify

A serious employer checks three things.

The Statement of Attainment against the USI transcript — the two must match unit for unit.
The RSA against the rules of the state where the venue trades, using the table above.
For a bar or floor role, whether the RSA date means the applicant can be rostered on alcohol from day one.

Graduates who bring these to the interview, rather than promising to send them, remove the reason for a delay. Graduates with prior experience but no paperwork can look at a skills assessment to have that experience recognised, or raise recognition of prior learning at the pre-training review before enrolling.

What a qualification changes in pay — and which award you are negotiating under

This is the part graduates most often leave on the table, and the part where the wrong assumption costs the most.

Your pay comes from a classification inside a modern award, and the premises decides which award, not the job title. There are four realistic destinations for a hospitality graduate:

Where the job is	Award
Hotels, pubs, taverns, motels, resorts, casinos, caterers, accommodation	MA000009 Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020
Not-for-profit registered clubs — RSL, bowls, golf, sporting, community	MA000058 Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2020
Standalone restaurants, cafes, night clubs, reception centres, roadhouses	MA000119 Restaurant Industry Award 2020
Takeaway, food courts, food sold mainly to be eaten away from the counter	MA000003 Fast Food Industry Award 2010

Each covers its industry to the exclusion of any other modern award. Two traps worth knowing before an interview, because getting them wrong makes you look unprepared:

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 Level 4 floor — in three of the four awards

A relevant AQF Certificate III or higher, used at work, sets a minimum classification of Level 4:

Award	Floor	Rate clause
MA000009 Hospitality Industry (General)	Level 4	clause 18.1
MA000119 Restaurant Industry	Level 4	clause 18.1
MA000058 Registered and Licensed Clubs	Level 4	clause 18.3
MA000003 Fast Food	no equivalent provision	—

This is the strongest single thing a graduate can bring to a pay conversation, and under MA000119 it is stronger still: Schedule A defines Level 4 as "Food and beverage attendant grade 4 (tradesperson)" and "Cook grade 3 (tradesperson)", and the award's own standard rate is the Level 4 rate. So in a standalone restaurant or cafe, a relevant Certificate III used at work is an explicit route to a tradesperson grade without serving an apprenticeship. That is worth saying out loud at the offer stage.

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

MA000009 and MA000119 require you to make use of the skills and knowledge derived from the Certificate III competencies. It is not automatic on completion.
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 underlying test under MA000009 is in clause 2. An employee has the "appropriate level of training" if they have completed a training program meeting the requirements of a qualification or one or more appropriate units of competency forming part of a training package; or have been assessed by a qualified skills assessor as having at least equivalent skills; or, as at 30 June 2010, had been doing the work of that classification for at least three months. The first limb is the useful one for a graduate: units count, not only whole qualifications, so a partial completion is not worthless at the negotiating table.

Three more MA000009 clauses worth knowing on the first payslip:

Clause 14 obliges the employer to classify every employee under Schedule A. The structure runs from an Introductory level through Levels 1 to 6, across five streams — food and beverage, kitchen, guest services, clerical and casino gaming.
Clause 22 deals with higher duties: 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.
Clause 3.3 obliges the employer to make the award and the National Employment Standards available on a noticeboard or by accessible electronic means.

And if you are a genuinely new entrant under MA000009, the Introductory level is time-limited: up to three months, extendable once by mutual agreement by a further three, with six months the maximum before you move to Level 1. A trainee under a registered training contract is a different arrangement again, paid under the National Training Wage.

This page prints no rates. Award rates re-set every 1 July, so confirm current figures with the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool for the award code that covers the employer. The AQF ladder itself runs Certificate III (operational), Certificate IV (supervisory) and Diploma (management, AQF 5); we deliver to AQF 5 and no higher. See how to build a career in hospitality.

What a work placement obliges the provider and the host to do

If part of your course involves placement in a commercial kitchen or venue, the safety duties are split and documented, and knowing that protects you.

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 state which tasks you may and may not perform, the induction the host will give, and the monitoring schedule.

The legal basis differs by state. In Victoria the employer's duty extends to persons who are not employees, which is what reaches a placement student. In New South Wales a student gaining work experience is expressly defined as a worker, and section 46 requires every person holding a duty for the same matter to consult, cooperate and coordinate with the others. This is also why a placement is the best evidence-generating period of a course: it is documented by obligation.

If a skills assessment is part of the plan

Migration in this field runs through Trades Recognition Australia, and only two occupations are assessable: Chef (351311) and Cook (351411). The evidence bar is high and worth preparing for years in advance rather than months:

Current culinary experience, skills and knowledge in Western cuisine.
Employment in the nominated occupation, full-time and paid, for a minimum of 12 months within the past 3 years before lodging.
Original and verifiable documentary evidence for all education, training and employment — employment letters, contracts, payslips, income statements, tax returns, award certificates and transcripts.
With formal culinary training, a minimum of 3 years relevant full-time paid work experience; without it, a minimum of 5 years.
For Chef specifically, ideally currently operating as a Senior Chef with kitchen management responsibility for at least 12 months full-time paid, with evidence of progression from Cook or Commis Chef through Chef de Partie to Senior Chef de Partie, Sous Chef or Head Chef, and competency in kitchen management duties — planning and monitoring cooking operations, managing finances within a budget, designing and costing menus, catering for special dietary requirements and writing staff rosters.

TRA-accepted qualifications are SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (Cook) and SIT40521 Certificate IV in Kitchen Management (Chef and Cook). SIT20421 Certificate II in Cookery is not accepted by TRA for any occupation — it is a pre-vocational entry point, and note it is a different qualification from SIT20322 Certificate II in Hospitality. And TRA assesses tradespersons and technicians only: management occupations are assessed by other authorities, so a Diploma of Hospitality Management graduate is outside this pathway.

One more planning fact. Cafe or Restaurant Manager (141111) is not on the Core Skills Occupation List, while Hotel or Motel Manager (141311) and Licensed Club Manager (141411) are. Note also that although the ABS superseded ANZSCO with OSCA in 2024, migration programs still run on ANZSCO codes. Take advice from a registered migration agent, not a training provider. See what hospitality jobs are in demand in Australia.

International students

A student visa holder may work 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session; confirm current visa conditions with the Department of Home Affairs, since they change. Employers know the limit and roster to it, so state it plainly on the application.

Our CRICOS-registered courses are SIT40422 Certificate IV in Hospitality (CRICOS 116358F), SIT50322 Diploma of Event Management (CRICOS 118427D) and SIT50422 Diploma of Hospitality Management (CRICOS 115534C). The two diplomas are delivered in Victoria only, and neither dedicated cookery qualification is CRICOS-registered. See visa checklist.

What the first shift itself feels like — the soft skills, the questions to ask, the mistakes to avoid — is covered in tips for entering the workforce for the first time. For what employers have said about our graduates, see success stories.

The job roles the training package itself names

A qualification's own descriptor lists the roles it is built for. This is more useful than a generic career list, because it is what the assessment was designed to evidence.

Qualification	Descriptor	Job roles named
`SIT40422` Certificate IV in Hospitality	Skilled operators using supervisory skills and a sound knowledge of industry operations to plan, monitor and evaluate the work of team members	Bar supervisor or team leader; concierge; duty manager; food and beverage supervisor or team leader; front office supervisor or team leader; housekeeping supervisor or team leader; gaming supervisor or team leader; shift manager
`SIT40521` Certificate IV in Kitchen Management	Chefs and cooks with supervisory or team-leading responsibility, operating independently or with limited guidance and using discretion to solve non-routine problems	Chef; head chef
`SIT50422` Diploma of Hospitality Management	Highly skilled senior operators combining a broad range of hospitality skills with managerial skills, operating independently, responsible for others and making a range of operational business decisions	Pathway to departmental manager or small business manager

Note the code carefully: the Certificate IV in Hospitality is SIT40422. The earlier code SIT40416 is superseded and, on the national register, not equivalent to it — so an older careers page quoting SIT40416 is quoting a qualification that no longer exists as a current product.

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.

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.

Does a Statement of Attainment expire?

No. Statements of Attainment do not expire, and partial completion of a course still yields one for the units passed. RSA recognition, by contrast, has state-based rules.

Can a graduate get their certificate without a USI?

For nationally recognised training, a USI is generally required before your qualification or Statement of Attainment can be issued, unless an applicable exemption applies. We can explain the requirements for your enrolment. See the official USI exemption guidance (https://www.usi.gov.au/students/create-your-usi/exemptions-usi). Creating a USI is free; recover an existing one rather than creating another.

The provider name on my certificate is not the one I am naming. Is it still valid?

Check the issuing RTO code and authenticate the certificate with us. A familiar business name alone does not prove that a document is a valid credential. The business names and historical date ranges below can help you identify the issuer.

Is my RSA valid in the state I am applying in?

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).

Which award covers the venue I am applying to?

The premises decides, not your job title. Hotels, pubs, taverns, motels, resorts, casinos and caterers fall under MA000009; not-for-profit registered clubs under MA000058; standalone restaurants, cafes, night clubs, reception centres and roadhouses under MA000119; takeaway and food-court outlets under MA000003.

The job is at a registered 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 club is covered by MA000058, where it is both registered under a liquor, gaming, associations or corporations statute and operating not-for-profit for members and the community.

The job is at a night club. Which award?

MA000119, the Restaurant Industry Award — a night club is a commercial venue, not a not-for-profit registered club.

Does a Certificate III guarantee a higher rate?

A relevant Certificate III or higher, used at work, sets a minimum classification of Level 4 under MA000009 (clause 18.1), MA000119 (clause 18.1) and MA000058 (clause 18.3) — three of the four awards. The fast food award has no equivalent provision.

What does Level 4 mean in a restaurant?

Under MA000119, 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. A relevant Certificate III used at work is a route to a tradesperson grade without an apprenticeship — a strong thing to raise at the offer stage.

Is the Level 4 floor automatic?

No. MA000009 and MA000119 require you to make use of the skills derived from the Certificate III competencies. MA000058 omits "or higher" and adds that the Fair Work Commission may require you to demonstrate that you utilise the relevant skills.

If the employer disagrees about my classification, where does that go?

Clause 40 under MA000009, clause 34 under MA000119, and referral to the Fair Work Commission under MA000058.

I only finished some of the units. Is that useless?

No. You receive a Statement of Attainment for the units passed, and under clause 2 of MA000009 one or more appropriate units of competency can satisfy the "appropriate level of training" test.

Can you issue me the NSW Food Safety Supervisor certificate?

No. We are not on the NSW Food Authority's approved provider list, so an NSW FSS certificate has to come from an approved provider.

Is my kitchen a category one or category two business?

If it processes unpackaged potentially hazardous food into food that is both potentially hazardous and ready to eat, it is category one. A kitchen that cooks is category one.

What documents does a TRA skills assessment want?

Original and verifiable evidence for all education, training and employment — employment letters, contracts, payslips, income statements, tax returns, award certificates and transcripts — plus 12 months full-time paid employment in the nominated occupation within the past 3 years.

Does a Certificate II in Cookery count for a skills assessment?

No. SIT20421 is not accepted by TRA for any occupation. It is a pre-vocational entry point, and a different qualification from SIT20322 Certificate II in Hospitality.

Can I use a hospitality management Diploma for migration?

Not as Cafe or Restaurant Manager — 141111 is absent from the Core Skills Occupation List. And TRA assesses trades, not management occupations.

How many hours can an international student work?

48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session. Confirm current conditions with Home Affairs.

Who is responsible for my safety on a work placement?

Both the provider and the host. The provider delivers a general safety induction before placement and monitors it; the host delivers a site-specific induction on day one in writing.

Where do I start if I have experience but no paperwork?

A skills assessment (/skills-assessment/), or recognition of prior learning under Standard 1.6 raised at the pre-training review. Bring documents, not recollections. Or send a course enquiry (/contact/).

What jobs is the Certificate IV in Hospitality actually built for?

Its own descriptor names bar supervisor or team leader, concierge, duty manager, food and beverage supervisor or team leader, front office supervisor or team leader, housekeeping supervisor or team leader, gaming supervisor or team leader, and shift manager. The descriptor frames the level as planning, monitoring and evaluating the work of team members.

Is SIT40416 the same as SIT40422?

No. SIT40416 is superseded by SIT40422, and the national register records them as not equivalent. Reaching the current qualification from the old one is a matter of credit transfer for units that carried over plus recognition of prior learning for the rest, not an automatic upgrade.