The Fiddler

Client

Established in 1862, The Fiddler is a modern food and bar precinct offering quality casual dining and entertainment in the Hills.

The Fiddler offers communal dining options as well as smaller, more intimate spaces, amongst its sprawling network of bar and dining areas.

The Fiddler delivers exceptional food, a distinctive beverage menu, and a philosophy of delivering superior service.

Local community support and initiatives are a key part of The Fiddler’s identity.

The Fiddler is owned and operated by Lewis Land Group.

Challenge

To address the high rates of youth unemployment within the Hills area, The Fiddler sought to develop a training program to upskill and provide employment opportunities to local jobseekers.

• Delivering a training program that would provide genuine employment opportunities to jobseekers
• Some participants were first time jobseekers
• Participants had little to no industry experience
• Participants often lacked confidence going into the program
• Some participants had special learning needs

Solution

Allara Learning and The Fiddler collaborated to deliver the Futures Program, a corporate social responsibility initiative aiming to drive job opportunities and growth in communities.

The Futures Program utilised Allara Learning’s JobReady structure to provide jobseekers with the skills, hands-on training, and work experience required to move into employment in the hospitality industry.

An intensive training program was delivered on-site at The Fiddler, where participants received a mix of classroom-based and hands-on instruction to equip them with essential skills required to be job-ready.

The course covered practical hospitality skills such as food and drink preparation and how to carry plates, as well as soft skills including customer service, communication skills and self-management.

The venue, with its numerous bars and food preparation areas, provided students with relevant and engaging training in a real working environment. Participants then undertook work experience at The Fiddler to put their newly developed skills into practice.

To accommodate the needs of participants with unique learning requirements, training was undertaken in small groups to allow the trainer to spend one-on-one time with students and provide additional support where necessary.

Upon successful completion of the program, participants achieved a nationally recognised SIT30616 Certificate III in Hospitality.

Outcomes

• The Fiddler gained skilled employees while also fulfilling their goal of providing real employment opportunities to local jobseekers
• In the past year, The Fiddler has employed 20 people through the program, five of whom identify as having special needs or living with a disability
• The Fiddler was awarded ‘Most Inclusive Employer’ at the Local Business Awards and recognised in the ‘Heart of the Community’ category at the Australian Hotels Association Awards, for their commitment to upskill and employ local jobseekers through the Futures Program
• The Fiddler continues to provide job opportunities to the local community, with ongoing JobReady programs being run with Allara Learning
• Following the success of the Futures Program at The Fiddler, hotel operator Lewis Land Group implemented the program in their Queensland venue, The Belvedere Hotel