FOOD & DRINK
Believing transferable skills are key , BENCHMARQUE conducts four-hour interviews with entry level recruits , and regularly provides between two to four hours of free training to assess their skills and give tips .
BENCHMARQUE partners with tertiary colleges such as Kenvale Hospitality and culinary and events schools to talk to graduates about the benefits and real-life examples of successful and achievable careers in hospitality . It also partnered with the Youth Jobs PaTH programme in September , which combines work experiences with a work trial , training and wage subsidies .
“ The program aims to provide the longer-term unemployed youth with job opportunities ,” adds Bennett . “ We ’ re very focused on inspiring them at a young age , and giving them the opportunity to explore back office administration while allowing them the exposure to see what powers the industry .”
Bennett ’ s mission is to inspire 100,000 people to commence and grow their professional careers by 2020 via a new , secret initiative he ’ s working on , transitioning the workers into the industry with the correct skillset .
“ We want to be the first thought when it comes to providing effective and proven solutions to the industry skill shortage by focusing on the long term , not just the short term ,” he explains .
“ We ’ re on target to lead the market in this space and provide tangible and realistic solutions to the engagement and skills challenges we all are experiencing , and we aim to nurture these candidates throughout their career by providing positive experiences . By doing this , we begin to create a large network of young professional hospitality enthusiasts to meet the ongoing demands across the country over the next decade .”
Two years ago , Bennett discovered engagement was quite low across the industry , so set about researching millennials and what drives them .
“ They crave mentorship ,” he reveals . “ They want to look up to someone , be inspired by something , be a part of something positive and to add value .”
Ultimately , what BENCHMARQUE
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