Employment service providers play a crucial role in connecting jobseekers with opportunities in the tourism and hospitality sector. By implementing these strategies, employment service providers can effectively connect with tourism and hospitality businesses, create meaningful job opportunities for their clients, and support the training and development needs of employers. Here are some strategies to build and maintain relationships with businesses, carve out job opportunities, highlight transferable skills, and support the training needs of employers: 

1. Building and Maintaining Relationships with Companies: 

  • Labour Market Insights: Use the Labour Market Insights report to find hiring employers or to identify peak hiring times for the sector  
  •  Connect with employers that are looking for the skills or experience that your clients may have. Reaching out to employers that are actively hiring will provide a greater chance of their participation in your services.  
  • Regular Communication: Establish consistent communication with businesses through regular check-ins, newsletters, and meetings. Keep them informed about the services you offer, including how you can support their staffing needs. 
  • Attend Industry Events: Participate in industry-specific events such as trade shows, conferences, and local tourism boards. Networking at these events helps you stay connected with key industry players and understand their evolving needs.  
  • Present your services needs at association or industry group meetings. There are many employer groups and networks with Tourism and Hospitality members, including OTEC’s regional working group, ORHMA, Chambers of Commerce, and TWEPI events. Share about the skills of your clients and the training that they may participate in to highlight the employability of local jobseekers. 
  • Tailored Solutions: Offer customized recruitment solutions based on the specific needs of each business. Whether they need seasonal workers, part-time staff, or full-time employees, demonstrate your ability to meet their unique requirements. 
  • Feedback Loop: Create a feedback loop where businesses can share their experiences working with your service. Use this feedback to improve your offerings and strengthen your relationships. 

2. Carving Job Opportunities for Jobseeker Clients: 

  • Proactive Outreach: Proactively reach out to businesses to learn about upcoming job openings, particularly for seasonal roles or during peak tourism times. Position your service as a go-to resource for their staffing needs. 
  • Job Matching Services: Develop a job-matching system that aligns the skills and experiences of your clients with the specific needs of employers. This ensures that businesses receive qualified candidates who are a good fit for their open positions. 
  • On-Demand Staffing Solutions: Offer businesses on-demand staffing solutions, especially during high-demand periods like holidays or festivals. This can create immediate job opportunities for your clients while meeting the short-term needs of businesses. 
  • Promote Government and Subsidy Programs: Highlight any government programs, wage subsidies, or incentives that businesses can access by hiring your clients. This can make hiring through your service more attractive to employers. 

3. Highlighting Transferable Skills of Clients: 

  • Skill Mapping: Work with your clients to map out their transferable skills, particularly those relevant to the tourism and hospitality sector, such as customer service, communication, time management, and teamwork. 
  • Customized Resumes: Help clients craft resumes and cover letters that emphasize these transferable skills, making them more appealing to employers in the tourism and hospitality industry. 
  • Showcase Versatility: Present your clients as versatile candidates who can adapt to different roles within the industry. For example, a client with retail experience might have strong customer service skills that are easily transferable to a front desk position in a hotel. 
  • Success Stories: Share success stories of clients who have successfully transitioned into tourism and hospitality roles using their transferable skills. This can build confidence in employers about the potential of your candidates. 

4. Supporting the Training Needs of Employers: 

  • Customized Training Programs: Collaborate with businesses to develop customized training programs that prepare jobseekers for specific roles within their company. This could include pre-employment training, job-specific skills training, or onboarding support. 
  • Language Training: Partner with local employers to develop and offer tourism/hospitality-specific language training in the workplace. Integrate industry-specific terminology into ESL language courses and offer to provide pre-employment language training to facilitate training for newcomers and employers.  
  • Upskilling Initiatives: Offer upskilling opportunities for current employees of businesses in the sector. This can include leadership training, customer service excellence, or industry-specific certifications, which help businesses retain and develop their workforce. 
  • Certification Partnerships: Partner with local colleges, vocational schools, or online platforms to offer certifications that are valued in the tourism and hospitality industry. Employers may appreciate candidates who have completed relevant training programs. 
  • Continuous Learning: Promote continuous learning by offering ongoing workshops and seminars on emerging trends in the industry. Keeping staff updated on the latest practices can improve business performance and employee satisfaction. 

5. Creating Long-Term Partnerships: 

  • Joint Workforce Planning: Work with businesses to plan their workforce needs over the long term, not just filling immediate vacancies. This helps create sustainable employment opportunities for your clients. 
  • Employer Advisory Councils: Establish employer advisory councils that include representatives from the tourism and hospitality industry. These councils can provide insights into the skills needed, help tailor training programs, and strengthen your relationships with businesses. 
  • Recognition Programs: Recognize businesses that consistently hire through your service by creating awards or recognition programs. Publicly acknowledging their commitment can encourage ongoing collaboration and attract other businesses to your service.