Homebush local Zac Bruce recently spent six weeks in Victoria assisting with the Royal Australian Navy’s COVID-19 assistance for people in hotel quarantine. Zac is one of the thousands of Australian Defence Force personnel supporting the Government’s response to the pandemic.

In 2017, Zac completed a Certificate III in Hospitality at TAFE NSW Wetherill Park to find a career after high school and secured a job at the Royal Australian Navy as a Maritime Logistics Support Operations Sailor.

23-year-old Zac provides hospitality services and supports on-board operations in ships at sea and is one of the few people whose hospitality career has not been disrupted by COVID-19. 

“It is rewarding to have a job like mine. I have the opportunity to meet new people and travel to places on different classes of ships, and my core responsibility is what I love – hospitality,” Zac said.

“I use a lot of the practical skills I learnt in the Certificate III in Hospitality in my role, such as in functions, working closely with the chefs on board, food knowledge, and hotel services.

“It feels great to be making a difference. Recently in Victoria I assisted with checking people into hotel quarantine, verifying identification, and ensuring frontline hotel workers were COVID-19 tested.”

As well as COVID-19 support, Zac also played a role in humanitarian relief support to the people of Fiji in response to the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Yasa in December.

“It was an incredible experience, we delivered food, construction materials, and water to help the Fiji locals. Onboard the ship I provided hospitality services to support our officers in areas such as uniforms, and serving meals,” Zac said.

“I’m now studying a Certificate IV in Hospitality online through TAFE Digital, which is great because it gives me the flexibility I need to continue to study despite the demands of being deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

TAFE NSW Head Teacher of Tourism and Hospitality Ry Cunningham said Zac is a prime example of how the skills you learn in a TAFE NSW hospitality course are valued and transferrable across industries.

“As we start to see COVID-19 restrictions ease, now is the perfect time to consider a career in the large and diverse hospitality industry. There are so many paths to take, such as kitchen and hospitality management of restaurants and cafés, motels and hotels, resorts and casinos, and bars and clubs.

“TAFE NSW courses in this sector are formulated to equip you with the practical skills and background knowledge you need to accomplish customer service, be communicative, and complete organisational tasks within any organisation.”

Media contact: Kellie Dillon, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, kellie.dillon7@tafensw.edu.au, 0408 006 866.