"Voyages Ayers Rock Resort develops careers for their staff to become future leaders for the resort and the wider tourism industry." -CEO of Voyages Ayers Rock Resort Andrew Williams
CEO of Voyages Ayers Rock Resort Andrew Williams says Voyages Ayers Rock Resort currently has 45 Indigenous staff members in supervisory and managerial positions.
The purpose of the Voyages Employment Program is to provide Indigenous employment in cultural tourism the experience a of staying in a place where the majority of staff are Indigenous is rare in Australia.
To truly appreciate cultural tourism in such a majestic place as the Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park, the best way forward is to give tourists a true Indigenous experience.
The Voyages Indigenous tourism fact sheet says "When the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) acquired Ayers Rock Resort in 2011, there were just a few Indigenous employees at the Resort and guests had very limited exposure to Indigenous culture during their stay."
Opportunity
The National Indigenous Training Academy operates from the resort and Voyages has developed programs including the Jetstar Indigenous Leadership Program and the Step Up Leadership Program to equip employees with the necessary leadership skills.
The training program provides accreditation in roles over a range of jobs that includes:
Food and beverage, housekeeping, spa and gym.
Trades roles and Security. Administration, Retail and Horticulture.
Cultural support for trainees
"Indigenous staff are supported to travel home to family," Andrew says "There is a cultural leave policy and trainees complete the program in their own time and are culturally supported when they come onto country.
"New trainees are offered cultural awareness training when they start with the business, they meet with Anangu people and learn about country and are made to feel accepted into the community," he said.
