The NSW Government will fund 5,000 fee-free Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) courses to support new workers to enter the hospitality industry and help ease the staffing pressure on licensed hospitality venues.
Treasurer Matt Kean said the free courses will be available from 7 February and will allow more people to get the qualifications they need to enter the workforce during this critical time.
“The hospitality sector makes up over 2 per cent of total gross value added to the NSW economy and supports more than 300,000 jobs, which is why we are committed to supporting this critical industry,” Mr Kean said.
“By providing these free RSA courses we are not just supporting the hospitality sector during the current downturn, but are supporting the future of people who pick up an extra qualification courtesy of NSW Government funding.”
Minister for Hospitality and Racing Kevin Anderson said the funding will help thousands of people to gain the skills to enter an in-demand industry.
“Staff shortages are adversely impacting the hospitality sector which is why we are supporting more people to obtain skills and work to drive our economic recovery,” Mr Anderson said.
Minister for Skills and Training Alister Henskens said refresher RSA courses will also be available free of charge from 7 February until the end of June.
“We are encouraging former hospitality workers to return to the sector by allowing anyone whose RSA competency card has expired within the past two years, or will expire before 30 June, to complete a short online refresher course to renew their certification for free,” Mr Henskens said.
The RSA courses will be available through TAFE NSW and private providers who already offer government subsidised programs.