A Win-Win Experience: How Having a Trainee Transformed Our Small Hospitality Business
Running a small hospitality business is both challenging and rewarding. As the owner of a café in a bustling suburban shopping centre, I’ve always focused on creating a welcoming atmosphere for our customers. However, as the business grew, I realized that finding and keeping dedicated, enthusiastic staff was key to maintaining the quality of service we were known for. That's when a friend at a Chamber of Commerce meeting recommended a traineeship. The long and short of it was that I investigated, talked to a trainer from Skills Strategies International and took a leap of faith.
At first, I had some concerns. I thought an inexperienced person would require too much supervision. When we are busy, I don’t need to do another job! I need someone who will alleviate the pressure. I am unsure if we were lucky, but my fears were unfounded.
I realised that I would be teaching someone new skills, and I knew I would get guidance from the Registered Training Organisation, which didn’t sound too hard. What I didn’t realise was that I would enjoy it so much!! Our new trainee brought fresh energy and enthusiasm to our team. It was a pleasure to see her learn. And she asked questions that often had me thinking about there being a better way of doing things. Sophie’s fresh eyes on our daily operations helped us spot inefficiencies we hadn’t noticed before, and her suggestions led to small but meaningful changes that improved our workflow.
When Sophie joined our café as a hospitality trainee, she was brimming with excitement. She chose hospitality because she loved interacting with people, which showed from day one. Although she was new to the industry, her positive attitude and willingness to learn made a huge impact. Having someone so eager to contribute to the team brought a renewed sense of energy to the staff. It was contagious—everyone seemed more motivated to provide exceptional service.
One unexpected benefit of having a trainee was how it brought our team closer. They had a team project to train her and develop her as a functioning member of our team. They shared their own experiences, and in the process, they became more reflective about their roles, which ultimately led to an improvement in how they approached their work.
What I loved most about the experience was seeing how invested Sophie became in the café’s success. As she gained more confidence, she started taking the initiative, whether helping to train newer staff members or recommending new ways to enhance customer experiences. Her involvement went beyond completing her training hours—she became part of our business family.
I originally thought Sophie would be going to the RTO for training. But Sam came and saw her on the job, gave some advice on where things needed to change, and assessed her work. That was beneficial to us, too. We learned some social media tips to bring in more business and found out about a new compliance regulation that we needed to address.
I highly recommend hiring a trainee for any small business owner considering it. It’s more than just a learning opportunity for the trainee—it’s a chance to bring fresh ideas, foster teamwork, and create a stronger bond within your staff.
Having a trainee has been a win-win for us. It is a great way to learn, we feel like we are contributing to a young person’s career and our business has benefited.
