Wagga City Council’s Cassandra Farquharson, The Brew director Kim Wilson and Wagga City deputy mayor Georgie Davies. Photo: Erin Hee.
Hospitality businesses doing it tough in the Riverina will be able to access a two-year training program which will deliver hands-on classes, mentorship and support to attract and retain staff.
Wagga Wagga City Council has secured $382,428 in NSW Government funding to deliver a new Agritourism and Hospitality Capacity Building Program.
The program will equip businesses with the skills, knowledge and networks through targeted training, professional mentorship and industry exposure.
Planned activities include agritourism and hospitality masterclasses, one-on-one business mentorship, industry familiarisation trips and trade event participation, front-of-house skills-based training such as barista training, wine service and bushfood education, as well as HR advisory services to support staff attraction and retention.
Wagga City Council deputy mayor Georgie Davies believes the initiative could help address the challenges businesses are currently facing.
“I think hospitality businesses are doing really tough,” Cr Davies said.
“We know that they’ve got notoriously slim profit margins, escalating overhead costs, compliance.
“They’ve got customers that are facing a cost of living crisis and on top of all of those issues, they’re struggling to find staff.”
One of the key themes identified in the recently adopted Wagga Wagga Destination Management Plan 2025-34 was growing agritourism and culinary experiences for visitors, as well as addressing challenges impacting these sectors due to workforce and skills shortages.
“One of the ways that we can support businesses in growing is helping them find and train staff,” Cr Davies said.
Wagga City Council Acting Destination and Events coordinator Cassandra Farquharson said the program had been designed in response to feedback from industry.
“What we heard loud and clear from them is that workforce challenges are among their biggest challenges when running their business,” Ms Farquharson said.
“This program is all about building the skills and knowledge of global competitors around agritourism and hospitality business through targeted training.
“It’s all about that behind-the-scenes training, giving businesses the confidence to either expand to agritourism or find their culinary offering.”
“We’re also looking at taking Wagga Wagga businesses to trade events, which will be amazing for their exposure to the broader industry.
“We’re looking at doing micro skills in things such as roster training, wine training, beer pouring, First Nations, bush foods, you name it, we’re looking to really upskill people.”
The Brew director Kim Wilson has 22 staff and hopes the funding can help expand the business.
“We really need it, especially at the moment where everything’s gone up,” Ms Wilson said.
“We’re trying to work on systems and this will allow us to be able to give back to the customer, save on cost in employment, and just give a better service.”
The Agritourism and Hospitality Capacity Building Program will launch later this year.
