Taiesha’s mocktail is a recipe for national success at WorldSkills

Taiesha is competing in the Food and Beverage VET in Schools (VETiS) category of national vocational and educational training (VET) skills event.

Following her gold medal win in this category at a WorldSkills Regional Competition held at the Toowoomba campus last year, Taiesha is enjoying the opportunity to fine tune her skills in food and non-alcoholic beverage service, customer service, workplace health and safety and hygiene in the lead up to competing once again.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to increase my skills in hospitality and my experience competing in the WorldSkills competition series will look great on my resume,” Taiesha said.

“I also love the chance to travel and learn more in the hospitality field.” she added.

In preparation for the pressure-cooker competition environment, and competing against her peers from around the country, Taiesha is undertaking weekly training sessions with TAFE Queensland Hospitality Teacher, Petra Cross, at the Toowoomba campus training restaurant and bar, Futures.

“We have a training schedule of one session per week together after school leading up to the national competition, plus I completed TAFE Queensland’s Certificate II in Hospitality (SIT20322) last year,” Taiesha said.

It’s during these training sessions that Taiesha has finessed the recipe for her very own signature mocktail, which features distinct berry flavours and a perfect strawberry garnish, in preparation for serving invited guests during the food and beverage category of the three-day competition.    

Volunteering time outside of teaching, Petra shares more than 30 years of industry knowledge and previous experience with WorldSkills competitions to help Taiesha build up her confidence.

“Taiesha and I are working together to ensure she is well-placed to meet the stringent judging criteria for the food and beverage category of the competition, and these are all skills that she can include on her resume,”  Ms Cross said.

“She’ll also have the chance to see the best-of-the-best young hospitality stars from around Australia in action, while honing her own skills for practical application in the workplace.” she said.

Toowoomba State High School Industry Placement Officer, Jane Horchner, supported Taiesha to consider a VETiS course during her senior years, starting with participation in a Skills Taster Program in 2021 in Year 10, which led to her completing the Certificate II in Hospitality (SIT20322) course.

“TAFE Queensland offers students a place where they grow as individuals, learn invaluable work skills, confidence and discover pathways to jobs they never knew existed,” Ms Horchner said.

“I feel every student who completes a vocational education and training qualification graduates with work-ready skills.” she said.

The Skills Taster Program includes units from TAFE Queensland’s service related courses such as the Certificate II in Cookery (SIT20421), Certificate II in Hospitality (SIT20322) and Certificate II in Salon Assistant (SHB20216).

Taiesha got a taste of hospitality during the program, which whet her appetite for further study, where she then studied a TAFE at School Certificate II in Hospitality (SIT20322) course in Year 11.

Taiesha gained entry-level skills to hit the ground running in a busy food and beverage service environment, with topics such as working effectively and safely, interacting with customers, and cultural awareness covered in the course.

According to Australian Government’s Labour Market Insight website, the demand for food and beverage attendants is set to grow strongly to more than 140,000 workers by 2026 - an increase of more than 20,000 workers during the 5 years prior.

Together with gaining in-demand skills for hospitality, competing in WorldSkills opens the door to life-changing career and training opportunities for Taiesha.

“I’m proud to achieve what I have so far, and to accomplish a win at the national competition would potentially open the world up to me with many great opportunities.” Taiesha said.