Centre of Excellence

An industry-led project, the South Coast Centre of Excellence (CoE) will create a pipeline of skilled workers by promoting career pathways in hospitality and tourism to encourage staff attraction and retention, whilst providing lasting careers for residents including young and Indigenous workers.

Working closely with Destination Southern NSW, the CoE will aid the economic recovery of bushfire-impacted local government areas of Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla and Bega Valley by addressing workforce shortages; elevating visitor experiences; and supporting product diversification, to drive increased tourism yield (visitor spend), reduce seasonality and support resilient local businesses.

The CoE will support a ‘career’ pathway into the sector, rather than simply creating ‘jobs’, and address current perceptions that hospitality and tourism has limited long-term career opportunities. To ensure cost-effective delivery, the CoE will avoid duplication in its service delivery by leveraging existing networks and training programs. Two highly qualified and experienced officers have been engaged, they are responsible for identifying opportunities and coordinating the program services and delivery.

The period of the pilot program has been extended from the initial two years by an additional six months to conclude on 31 January 2024. Success of the project during this timeframe will contribute to the long-term sustainability of the CoE.

Newsletter Updates

“Dear Robyn & Sam,

Thank you immensely for everything you’ve achieved with the Centre of Excellence. While I’ve likely only seen a fraction of your work, its impact on our business and operations has been monumental. Your facilitation and support in fostering Navigate’s collaboration with Twofold have profoundly benefited our business. For the first time, we’re engaging locals in our tours and making meaningful contributions to cultural organisations through employment, training, and financial support.

The workshops and familiarisation days you’ve hosted over the last two years have been invaluable for professional development. As a small business owner, finding the resources to attend these important sessions is challenging. Having access to experts right in our region, free of charge, not to mention the networking opportunities provided, has been absolutely crucial for small regional businesses that thrive on collaboration. 

Whatever your next endeavor may be, I’m confident you’ll continue to make a significant impact. The small but mighty team at the South Coast Centre of Excellence has already left a lasting legacy on the Sapphire Coast’s small businesses. I regret missing the forum this afternoon but wanted to express my gratitude for the seasonality workshop yesterday.”

Jessica Taunton, Navigate Expeditions 

Project Videos  |  Local Knowledge Famil Highlights

Throughout the program duration, the Centre of Excellence is hosting various local knowledge industry famils in the Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla, and Bega Valley, to showcase the exceptional and diverse range of product and services available to visitors.

The aim of the famils is to increase the knowledge of local tourism and hospitality staff who are customer facing, on the unique local offerings so that they can recommend with confidence what is available for visitors to experience, adding value to their stay and supporting local tourism products and services.

Highlight features from these famils are included here with longer operator showcases available on Vimeo here or by clicking the button below: 

The project is overseen by a Committee of highly skilled industry experts:

This Local Economic Recovery project is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and the New South Wales Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Image credit: Destination NSW