“Training is not an expense, but an investment in human capital.”
Roy H. Williams, American business writer
In an era defined by rapid technological change and evolving industry demands, ensuring the survival of critical skills has become a collective challenge.
I have seen firsthand how traditional hiring alone cannot bridge the widening skills gap.
We need a forward-thinking solution that not only fills immediate roles but builds a pipeline of talent for the future.
Vocational training integrated with real projects and community needs is that solution.
It’s a strategy that future-proofs our workforce and nurtures an in-built workforce from the ground up.
As we prepare to build Australia’s first indoor snow resort, Winter Sports World will also lead the way in championing new ways to preserve skills and ensure a workforce for the future.
Ensuring skill survival
Unlike one-off hiring sprees, robust vocational education and training (VET) programs are about skill survival.
Engaging young people through apprenticeships and traineeships keep critical capabilities alive and evolving as older workers retire and technologies advance.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, well-designed VET systems facilitate smooth school-to-work transitions and help people navigate shifting economic landscapes.
In countries like Switzerland, for example, roughly two-thirds of students opt for vocational pathways by age 15, entering the labour market with strong, work-ready skills.
At Winter Sports World, we’re putting this philosophy into action through our Building Skills & Pathways Program.
It’s designed to cater to young people who have a clear career vision and to those still exploring their options.
By offering immersive, hands-on experiences, we’ll help young people gain real-world insights and develop skills across departments, from engineering and mechanical maintenance to hospitality, marketing and finance.
We will even offer a general internship, giving students broad exposure to multiple departments to discover what sparks their interest and make informed decisions about their future.
School-Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBAT) programs will allow high school students to combine regular classroom studies with hands-on work experience with us at the resort.
Our standard Vocational Education and Training (VET) placements will provide practical, on-the-job training across departments like maintenance, operations, business or technology, delivered in partnership with accredited training agencies.
We also created EVET (Enhanced VET) programs to offer advanced, specialised training in high-demand fields such as project management, sustainable building practices and advanced construction technologies.
Uniquely, Winter Sports World’s approach begins even before our doors open to the public.
We’ll onboard participants during the construction phase of Winter Sports World so they will work alongside builders in areas like site preparation, materials handling, structural work and safety protocols.
This means a young person could literally help build the walls of our giant snow box while learning a trade.
By the time Winter Sports World is fully operational in 2028, our trainees will have a qualification and practical experience to join our team permanently or move on elsewhere with confidence.
This end-to-end approach ensures we develop an in-built workforce fluent in our values, safety standards and customer service ethos from the start.
Strengthening community
Marriott International has built a talent pipeline through an apprenticeship program in the UK, run in partnership with educational providers
Our Building Skills & Pathways initiative aligns with the NSW Government’s NSW Skills Plan 2024–28, which focuses on building a skilled, adaptable workforce and creating clear pathways from school to jobs.
A student in Western Sydney will be able to smoothly transition from school-based training into a recognised vocational qualification then full-time employment – all within their local community.
The benefits to the community are significant.
First, we are creating meaningful career pathways for young people right here, including those who might not thrive in a purely academic route.
Not only does that empower young people, it contributes to the broader workforce ecosystem, creating lasting impact for the community and key industry sectors.
Second, the program will help address skills shortages in critical areas.
For instance, the NSW hospitality and tourism sector needs trained workers, and our VET and EVET hospitality tracks will prepare future chefs, guest services managers and technicians who can support our operations as well as the broader tourism industry.
And third, this approach enhances community engagement, turning our project into a community hub and a stakeholder in regional growth and youth development.
Global success stories
London's Crossrail project helped young people from black and minority ethnic communities get work in the construction industry
Like the simplicity of our giant snow box itself, we’re not reinventing the wheel here – integrated vocational training partnerships have been done successfully before. We’re just tweaking our programs to suit our needs.
- Infrastructure (UK): Europe’s largest infrastructure project, the Crossrail project in London, embedded apprenticeship and training programs into its construction to help over 800 unemployed young people from black and minority ethnic communities get work in the construction industry.
As well as fill labour needs, this approach left a skills legacy for the community. Crossrail even established a dedicated Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy to train workers in specialist skills like tunnel safety and concrete spraying, effectively future-proofing the tunnelling workforce.
The knock-on benefits to the project were notable: seasoned workers became mentors, productivity improved and a culture of continuous learning took root on site, according to an article in The Guardian.
- Hospitality (Global/UK): Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, has built a talent pipeline through an apprenticeship program in the UK, run in partnership with educational providers. More than 3,000 participants have earned industry-recognised qualifications while working in a range of hotel roles so far.
As well as addressing skills shortages, the program shows how learning on the job can translate into loyalty and career growth, with many apprentices staying on to advance within the company.
- Sports & entertainment (USA): Building a new NFL stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, has been paired with the Titans Construction Training Camp (TC2) six-week intensive program introducing local residents to construction trades.
Participants earn wages while they train, gain nationally recognised certifications and interview with construction firms upon completion.
By the time the stadium opens, the city will have a state-of-the-art venue and an expanded pool of local electricians, carpenters, mechanics and other tradespeople.
Benefits to business
Titans Construction Training Camp introduces local residents to construction trade
Vocational training programs are sometimes viewed as philanthropic or community initiatives.
While they’re great for society, they also benefit businesses themselves, including Winter Sports World.
Building an in-house pipeline of skilled talent is a strategic move to ensure we have the workforce we need, when we need it, trained to our standards.
By training our future staff early, we can forecast and fulfill our workforce needs more effectively.
Instead of scrambling in a tight labour market for qualified technicians, instructors or hospitality staff, we will have talent already prepared for those roles.
We won’t be caught out if there’s a sudden boom in demand for, say, refrigeration engineers or ski coaches because we would have already trained the next generation of them.
Employees who come up through vocational pathways tend to have higher competence and familiarity with the job from day one, having done much of the learning under real conditions.
They also understand the company culture and values deeply, which translates into service quality and operational excellence.
On the other hand, as the Crossrail case revealed, senior staff are energised and motivated by young apprentices, who often bring fresh perspectives and have up to date technical knowledge, which improves overall productivity on site.
And when people feel a company has invested in their growth, they’re more likely to stay and build their careers there, resulting in reduced turnover and higher employee retention rates.
Skill shortages and rapidly changing job requirements are not going away.
If anything, they will intensify as technology evolves and industries transform.
Apprenticeships and traineeships are a way to shape our future organisation.
They allow us to inculcate the right skills and values early, adapt training to emerging needs and ensure that as the company grows, our people grow with it.
And this means we can confidently expand our operations, knowing our human capital strategy is future ready.
That agility is a competitive advantage.
Have you used vocational pathway programs in your business? I’d love you to share your thoughts about their value.