JULY 2005

SITE sets new heights winning TELSTRA BUSINESS AWARD

On Friday night (22nd July) at the Telstra South Australian Business Awards, SITE Academy won the prestigious 2005 South Australian MYOB Business Award.

SITE Academy is a nationally accredited registered training organisation offering a diverse range of training programs that specialise in, but are not limited to, Hospitality and Tourism. SITE Academy has grown from a staff level of 2 in 2002 to 15 in 2005 and student numbers from 68 in 2002 to over 500 in 2005.

SITE Academy’s Managing Director Michael Sfera was thrilled with the result, “I believe it is recognition for the team’s hard work and our flexible ‘can do’ approach. This year has been one dominated by innovation. We have introduced what may be Australia’s first spa resort management program, commenced a consult and traineeship division, launched a job ready program to get more students into employment, linked up with Southcorp Wines to co-deliver wine programs and launched on-line training programs, and that’s only a taste of the innovation. The strength of our organisation lies in our ability to tailor our programs to our clients needs and produce best practice outcomes, for our students as well as the school sector and hospitality industry clients”.

“Our commitment to providing flexibility and building customer relationships has without doubt a been the catalyst for our growth. We are delighted to be recognised by Telstra and the Australian Government as the best small business in South Australia employing 5 to 20 employees. Personally, I thank my fellow shareholders Steve Cordes and Adam Waters, who like me, have put everything on the line for this company. Every member of the SITE team roll up to work everyday constantly trying to improve the way we operate. This award belongs to them and as a group we are looking forward to representing South Australia in the Nationals in Melbourne.”

SITE offers unique training programs in conjunction with companies such as Southcorp Wines and WorkCare SA. SITE offers a university articulation with James Cook University and delivers international qualifications under the auspices of City & Guilds International. SITE is also working with a range of companies and educational institutions, including recruitment companies and Higher Education Providers to improve current programs and develop new ones.

One of SITE’s sources of competitive advantage is its internal staff recruitment process, preferring to recruit its lecturing staff direct from industry who are required to complete Industry Placement each year to stay in touch with the latest developments in Hospitality and Tourism. SITE trains students in a ‘real life’ operational environment resulting in best practice ‘industry ready’ graduates. SITE offers above 76% employment outcomes from its school certificate programs and all students complete the Advanced Diploma programs in a paid work placement.

As well as our Advanced Diploma programs we have assisted a number of schools in retaining students by offering Certificate qualifications in Hospitality, Tourism, Retail and Cookery as an alternative SACE unit option. Further to this we have recently launched a ‘job ready’ program for schools targeting year 10-12 students to further develop employment outcomes for their students.

SITE prefers to let its customers do the talking. “The qualities and successes the students achieve would not be possible without the meticulous planning and flexibility of courses, the quality of venues and the depth of professionalism of the SITE Academy staff. The staff particularly deserve high praise for their ability to positively engage with school students”, says Jim Debnam: Vocational Education and Career Coordinator, Thomas More College.

Eoin Loftus, General Manager of the Majestic Hotels recently had this to say about SITE Academy, “Our group has had an association with SITE Academy for some time now and have benefited greatly from this association. To date we have employed 3 graduates who have proven to be extremely valuable members of our organisation. Each graduate employed has proven to be “industry ready” due to the effectiveness of SITE Academy’s proven and successful curriculum / programs. Considering each graduate that we employed is just starting their careers within the Hospitality Industry, is testament to not only SITE’s programs but also the quality of its lecturers – without a successful teacher, you lessen the chances of having a successful student!

Steven Toome recently graduated from SITE Academy, Steven had to following to say about his industry placement “Yesterday my manager gave me a name badge; it read ‘Steven Toome, Restaurant Supervisor’….How? …I am eighteen years old, have been working in the hospitality industry for less than a year, and I am supervising activities at the Gallery Restaurant, in Perisher Blue’s most exclusive
hotel, the Marritz Alpine Inn… I owe it all to the way that SITE operates… The reason for my success is the on site, contemporary, industry specific training. I have learnt so many different skills that my confidence and competency are ample for me to feel comfortable in my current supervision.”

For a full listing of SITE academy’s products see www.site.edu.au and for further information contact Nevada Jones on (08) 8346 2788.