VET and Careers News

Hospitality Excursion to Brisbane Racing Club (BRC)

Some very fortunate Year 11 students studying SIT20322 Certificate II in Hospitality at Marist College Ashgrove had the opportunity to have some hands-on industry experience at Brisbane’s exclusive Brisbane Racing Club at both the Eagle Farm and Doomben sites.

After the initial orientation by Azlan Wan (General Manager Venues at BRC) the students were tasked with setting up for a very large function at the Eagle Farm site which was occurring on the weekend where approximately 10,000-20,000 patrons, owners, trainers and staff will be turning up for the Saturday Stradbroke Day.

The students were then treated to a complimentary lunch from BRC at the Doomben site which also had many races on that day. After lunch, the students were put to work again in various hospitality roles where they spent a period of time at each position. The rotational positions consisted of general bar work, café, manning security gates for horses and waiting on members. The students performed exceptionally well and all BRC staff were suitably impressed with their work ethic.

This is a very special industry partnership that lifts the profile of this essential VET pathway and provides real-life experiences that enrich the course and the lives of the students.

A very special thanks to Azlan Wan, Amber Pene and all the BRC staff who mentored our students at each rotation. Special thanks must go to Robyn Gooley (Head of VET) for making this important industry connection with BRC. Well done to the following students for their exceptional work and interest on the day; Trenten Hastie, Joe Pegg, Ethan Lawson-Smith and Mac Stormon. We look forward to this partnership continuing with the next group of students heading out on Wednesday 14 June 2023.