Another success story from a recent program the Accomodation Association supported in Melbourne was Ba See, a Burmese refugee now working at the Mantra St Kilda Road Hotel. 

Ba See attended pre-employment training supported by the Academy, delivered by Training Unlimited, and completed his PaTH internship at the Mantra Tullamarine Hotel.

“Through the training Ba See was drawn to the kitchen and expressed a significant interest in becoming an apprentice chef. With the fantastic support of the Mantra Group, Ba See completed his 4-week internship and was subsequently offered an apprenticeship with the Mantra Group,” Troy Schufft, Academy Director said.

“Ba See travelled over an hour each way for his internship in Tullamarine and with the support of his jobactive provider, Sarina Russo from Job Access; his ongoing employment was transferred to the Mantra St Kilda Road Hotel which had an existing need for an apprentice chef and is closer to Ba See’s home,” Troy said.

Ba See, a refugee at age 11 from Burma, through the Youth Jobs PaTH, now has a long term career ahead of him, in our industry. “The Accommodation Association, through it's support and training program, gave me the chance to prove myself to the Mantra Group. I wouldn’t have had that opportunity without this program and I would like to thank the Accommodation Association, Mantra Group and Chef Patil for all their support,” said Ba.

“The Accomodation Association is fully supportive of giving job seekers of all ages, opportunities to gain employment in our industry, especially where they’re unlikely to progress through the mainstream recruitment processes – due solely to lack of experience. The work placement / internship enables employers to assess the job seeker in a live work placement which, in some ways, is the interview process. I personally would like to thank the Mantra Group and Sarina Russo Job Access for supporting the initiative,” Said Troy.

Tian Brahim

“My experience through this program has always been truthful, practical and realistic. From the moment I walked into the information session, it was made clear about what the expectations were of us while completing the course. A lot of what I learned and was told I have applied to my experiences at my workplace. Not only can I apply what I learned in just the hospitality industry but a lot of other workplaces that require the duties to be done.

I have been out of work almost a year now and have had not much luck breaking into the workforce, in particular the hospitality industry. The course provided me with the appropriate skills for working with food and beverage, etc. I physically would go into retail stores, cafes, hotels and even online to apply for available jobs but I was never lucky enough to be called back for an interview. I’m grateful to my trainers and the whole Accommodation Association team behind the hospitality program for getting me into employment to where I am now.”

(Pictured: Tina Brahim)