Training That Keeps Canberra Working

Fifty thousand certificates is a big number, but the more interesting story is what it takes to keep training useful, compliant, and genuinely connected to work. I’m joined by Mark Field, Managing Director of Access Recognised Training in Canberra, to talk about how a local registered training organisation (RTO) delivers nationally recognised qualifications and high-demand short courses across hospitality and business. We get practical about what employers actually need day to day, from RSA and food safety supervisor certificates to fast help when a compliance inspection is happening and someone cannot find their paperwork.

We dig into how vocational education and training has evolved toward blended delivery: online theory through learning management systems, plus real workplace evidence signed off by supervisors. Mark explains why apprenticeships are still one of the most compelling pathways for students who want to earn while they learn and avoid HECS-style debt, and why the apprenticeship model only works when employers make time and take responsibility for coaching. We also cover the hard reality behind the scenes: shifting government funding priorities, reduced incentives in hospitality, and the admin headaches when apprentices move between employers.

Mark shares a candid small business case study too, from doubling engagement during COVID training initiatives to investing in CRICOS registration and a purpose-built facility, only to be hit by sudden international student policy changes that made the numbers unworkable. The conversation lands on what smart pivots look like, including corporate training in conflict management, conflict de-escalation, and psychosocial hazards, plus how AI tools can help a small team create better training materials while staying alert to hallucinations, privacy, and data security.

If you care about apprenticeships, upskilling, hospitality workforce development, or the future of training in Canberra, listen now. Subscribe, share this with a business owner who’s hiring, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome And What Access Does

0:13

Hello and welcome to the Canberra Business Podcast. I'm Greg Harford, your host from the Canberra Business Chamber, and today we're talking training with Mark Field, the Managing Director of Access Recognised Training from right here in the nation's capital. Mark, welcome to the podcast. Now, um, you've been a member of the chamber for a long time, but tell us what is it that you do in your business? Yeah, thanks, thanks, Greg. Uh, and yes, I have been a member of the chamber for quite some time. Now I've even actually been uh on the board of the chamber too, which was a great experience as well. Uh but my business, as you said, access recognised training. Uh, we've been around for almost 20 years now, um, based here in the ACT. Um, so we're a registered training organisation, so that means we're registered by ASCOA, the Australian Skills Quality Authority, to deliver nationally recognised qualifications. So we've been doing that for quite some time now. We specialise in business, in hospitality, uh, in cookery. Um, so we do a lot of qualification-based things through apprenticeship and traineeship pathways. We also do a lot of uh short courses, certainly hospitality-based short courses. Um things like responsible service for alcohol, responsible conduct of gambling, food safety supervisor, food hygiene, those sorts of of uh of uh courses. Um and believe it or not, mate, over the 20 years we're also almost delivered 50,000 certificates here in the ACT. So that's a big number. Yeah, so it's a very important sort of training pipeline that we create for ACT business, certainly the hospitality uh sector, which is very vibrant here in the ACT, as you know, with the amount of restaurants that we have. But uh all obviously facing very challenging times at the moment as well. Absolutely. And and do you do you provide training in areas other than HOSPO, or is it just really in that hospitality segment? No, no, we we we certainly do quite a bit of stuff in business. Um in fact, we're moving more towards sort of corporate-based training as well, and especially non-accredited non-accredited training. We see that there's uh some opportunities there. Um, so uh yes, it's not all just accredited, nationally recognised based stuff. So we do bespoke stuff as well, so we'll have clients come to us and say, hey, we've got a particular issue with this, and we'd like to develop a course on that. So uh we will work with them to do that and deliver it for them as well. So fantastic. So so

From Classrooms To Work-Based Learning

2:31

the business has been going for 20 years or so. You've delivered 50,000 certificates, which sounds like an extraordinarily large number uh to me. But but how has training evolved over that time? I mean, I guess there's been a move over the years from in-person training to online. Yeah, absolutely it has. So we're sort of moving out of the out of the classroom. Um we've done a lot of work-based training, especially with traineeships and apprenticeships. So, what what I mean by work-based is um they're doing the majority of the training on-site. Um, they'll do a lot of their uh theory-based work, which would be online. So there's a big move, obviously, to online platforms, learning management systems. Um, and then the practical-based stuff, they'll be doing that in the workplace in consultation with their with the RTO, but primarily in consultation with their employer or their direct workplace supervisor to help them through. So we we basically create a package of of theory-based work that they'll have to work through and then practical tasks, and then we'll work with the employer and with the the apprentice to make sure they can get through all those all those tasks. Uh, we can sign them off as we go and work towards getting that qualification. So if we look at um cookery, for example, um, so cert three commercial cookery is the trade-based qualification, so we deliver that. So, just as, for example, CIT would deliver commercial cookery training. So, the qualification they come out with and the accreditation is exactly the same. So, we'll work with the employer. The employer has the ultimate sign-off at the end. Um, and uh yeah, away we go. So, in regards to apprentices, we've probably completed in our time close to 500 apprentices, which is which is fantastic. So now we have um obviously employers now that who are apprentices with us who are now taking on apprentices. Right, fantastic. So it's kind of a second generation of crees coming through, which is which is amazing. Yeah, um so I mean let's just talk a little bit.

Apprenticeships And Policy Headwinds

4:26

Excuse me, let's talk a little bit about that apprenticeship model because I guess it's it's um it's it's an area that's really important for some um uh people. How do you see that evolving? Um it's been been a bit challenging over the years, right? It it certainly has been certainly has been challenging for for numerous reasons. Uh a lot of it's to do with government policy as well, and um I guess priorities of the government. Um so if we look at the current situation, for example, the government's priorities obviously around construction and building the 1.2 million homes that they want to build, so construction is a big thing. Renewable energy, obviously, is another one, electro technology. So there's a so what they've effectively done is moved a lot of funds from uh more traditional areas, and hospitality and cookery is one of those traditional areas, and move that into electro technology, for example, um, construction, for example. So um the unfortunate thing now it's not as attractive as it once was for an employer, for example, to take onto an apprentice. The business incentives aren't there as what they used to be. Um, but again, that can depend upon what industry package and what sector that you're in. So hospitality has sort of been left out a little, I must say, which is a little bit disappointing considering the importance of the sector. Um, but that's just the reality of what it is. So is is the apprenticeship and apprenticeship model dead? Well, I don't think it is. Does it have some life? I think it's very important, and I think it will have life, and I think even now we're seeing more and more students think about vocational pathways, and they're thinking about vocational pathways more because it's more skill-based, um, especially a lot of qualifications where there's human to human contact, and that's what we need if we're going to talk about AI, for example, and uh the disruption that AI will have. Um there's gonna be a lot of opportunities, things like the service sector, community sector, um, hospitality, obviously, as well. So, um, and of course, your traditional trades. Um it's gonna be a while before the robots are in doing those sorts of tasks. Yeah. And and and one of the one of the advantages of kind of an apprenticeship model, of course, for the student is that you're you're earning as you learn, right? So you're not necessarily taking on a whole lot of hex debt to get your qualification at the end of the day. You're not taking on any hex debt, and in fact, you're sort of the employer uh as part of the award, they need to be paying any tuition fees, and they're minimal anyway, the tuition fee. So the government is still great in regards to contributing to the the cost of the education for the apprentice, which is fantastic. Um so um so it's it's minimal what the employer has to can has to contribute, which is still very very very good. Um, but if you look at comparing it to a university education, so um and the fact that they're earning and learning. Um so if you compare it dollar for dollar sort of thing, then by the time you finish your apprenticeship, you're roughly about $150,000 better off than the person that did the degree. And that's got to be pretty compelling, right? Very compelling. And and a lot of the time too, especially if you're going into a one of those traditional trades, whether it's electrical or plumbing or whatever it might be, um, you know, your wage, first year wage, is actually pretty good and comparable to the first year out of university, maybe better. And how long does an apprenticeship take to run through for the students? So look, it it it does depend now. It sort of depends on what they've already done. Um so, for example, we we might take on a student that did some cookery training at school, uh, and obviously schools now do a lot of vet-based programs. Um, so they may have done, I don't know, a quarter of the the units required for uh for a qualification. So it means that on an apprenticeship perspective, they might only have two years to go to actually get that. But uh, if they're ready at the end of that two years, that's important too, and obviously that's something that um will be judged primarily by the employer who will need to sign off. So they've got to be satisfied that that that that apprentice has met that industry standard and they're happy with it. But certainly if they've been working with them for some time, then it's a very good chance that they they will be. So um it can depend. It can depend if you're and as you as if this happens with a lot of apprenticeships as well, there's a lot of um moving around that goes on from one employer to another. Um,

Admin Chaos And Custom Software

8:50

does that create administrative challenges, mate? It does, it's terrible, and we're not we're not remunerated at all for that, so that's just an additional cost of doing business and reality of working with apprentices, unfortunately. But um look, it it is what it is, but we've got some great systems. Look, we've invested in some really good systems, and that's been really important for our growth and development and our success, um, whether they're learning management systems, student management systems. Uh we've even we've even uh developed uh an in-house training management system, it sort of fills the gap between the two, which is our centrepiece. So we invested heavily into that. So um so that's very important. It makes us certainly a lot more efficient, productive, um, and responsive, especially to employer, employer and apprentices and student needs. Building your own systems is not a job, not a task for the faint-hearted, right? I mean, what how did how did that work? Did you have to sort of contract people into it? Yeah, we yeah, we did. Um so we used a uh a system called FileMaker, which was an old Apple product. Um so it's almost like a wizard, if you like, of building a software platform. So uh but we yeah, engaged a professional in which to in which to do that. Um so over the years, I mean, we've we're talking at least a quarter of a million dollar investment, maybe more, into that into that system, but it's one of a kind, Greg, and it's um it certainly meets our needs. Um so but it's sort of one of those things too. It's a you know, we've got to store that in our own in our own server arrangement. Um same with our with our learning management system and so forth. So there's a real cost to that as well. Um there's security of it as well, it's online platforms, so that's obviously a big thing as well. So there's a big cost, obviously, that to protect that data because it's very sensitive data that we have. Um but I mean that's that's the reality of where we are. Yeah.

Why Employer Buy-In Matters Most

10:46

So um tell me, Mark, in a world of sort of AI, which we're moving into and basically everything is now available online. How important do you think it is that employers are investing and upskilling their people? And how involved do employers need to be? They need to be very involved, yeah. Um, it's always been I've had some funny stories in in the past with employers contacting me and saying, Hey, I need an apprentice, um, but I don't have time to train them. Which is the whole point, right? Well, I don't think it's an apprentice, is that what you're looking for. Yeah, but you know, I want the cheap wages. Well, okay, this is another problem. Um so uh so the more that we can get engagement from the employer and get involved in their stuff in the student studies, um, the better. If we we, for example, have got a number of what they're called ASBAS, which are Australian school-based apprentices, so they're still at school. Um, so it's even more important in that situation. But when we've got engagement buy-in from, you know, because the school's involved, the parents are involved, got the student, you've got the RTO, you've got the apprenticeship center, you've got all these different parties involved. But when they're all working together, um, we get some amazing outcomes. Um, but the employees that get behind it, support it, um, that give time, structured time for their for their um for their employees to do their, for example, their theory-based training, and then structured time to then do some work on you know a practical task, whatever that practical task might be, it might be developing a new emulsion source or something, like a Hollandaise and might be having you know, breaking tomorrow morning or something, and ex-benedict's on the menu or something like that. So, um, so yeah, the more engagement they have, the better. Um, and I think employees they want to know that they're moving forward as well. So there's uh there's a whole host of different training um you know courses that that they can undertake. This is the thing, it's an incredibly diverse sector, the training sector. I mean, if you look at RTOs alone, I mean there's 4,000 RTOs. That's come off, it used to be about 5,000, so it's about 4,000. Now they're delivering qualifications from roughly about 54 different training packages. Within those 54 training packages, there's roughly about 1,500 uh qualifications. Within those 1,500 qualifications, there's about 15 to 16,000 individual units of competency. So there's a lot, a lot of courses, a lot of training that's involved there. And you'll have RTOs, especially privately owned RTOs, that'll specialise in particular areas. Um it's only your bigger public sort of tapes that will have these very large scopes that go across numerous training packages. Yeah, because it must you must need a certain scale of operation to be able to grapple with the complexity of it. Correct. So I mean we've we we have obviously the business training package, yeah, and then of course the hospitality tourism training package as well. Um and we also offer first aid too, so that's the that's a that's another training package there as well. So uh even even just access alone. So we've got um I think about round roughly about 15 qualifications that we deliver, and there's a couple of hundred units of competency that make that up. So there's still a lot of stuff that we can offer, and we can pick any of those units of competency and deliver that individually to an employer if they've got a particular area of need that they want training in. Yeah, fantastic.

Funding Swings And The COVID Surge

14:12

So, look, it's obviously been going well over 20 years. Um, as I say, I'm still wrapping my head around the 50,000 certificates that you've issued. What's the biggest challenge that you've encountered over time and and how have you sort of seen the business environment evolve? Yeah, I think the big thing, mate, are the the ups and downs of government funding and and policy directions. And any any business that deals in that government sector, they they'll go, yeah, absolutely, Mark, you're spot, you're spot on. That's because you just don't know what's going to happen. I mean, sometimes we're you know, when we're waiting on whether qualifications are going to be funded, um, you know, we're just waiting with baited breath there going, gee, I hope hope our qualification's gonna be funded again this this year. So there's so does that happen year on year? So, but as I said, we've been going for 20 years now, yeah. And uh, you know, the funding's still been there, but it's been up and down. I mean, obviously during COVID we thought, oh, what's gonna happen? Um but but as we know, there was a lot of government stimulus money put in, especially into training and and education. Um so we actually, believe it or not, doubled our students over over COVID because of the programs, um, government training initiatives that that came in during that time to really sort of stimulate and get people still doing productive things. And being hospitality, obviously, we had a lot of people that were at home because the businesses were closed. Um train, really. It was a sensational time to train, and we we've had the most engagement over that period of any time in our past. Um, like you know, you we'd open up our page of our training management system, and it it would just be we'd have hundred students that have been in in the last two days. Um so it was it was certainly great at that period, but what we did know at that or realise at that time as well is that this is going to end um and the funding's going to dry up, and the government may well want to claw back a bit. So

CRICOS Expansion Meets A Policy Wall

16:10

at that time we made the decision to actually then apply to train international students. So that's another layer of registration, which is called CRICOS. Um, so that was about three years ago that we decided to make that decision. It took us a year to actually get the uh get the approval for that. So the big process. And and to be clear, that's that's training students who are currently offshore, not those who are in training. Currently offshore, yeah. Yeah, currently offshore. So uh because it's it's actually very difficult to train students that are onshore with the rules and regulations that are in place now of uh around um pinching students from other providers, which became a bit of an issue. So um yeah. So how's that international market going for you? Oh well, where do where do where do I start? So it took us a year, um, quite a lot of investment, two or half a million dollar investment into a purpose-built training facility, which we have in in Bel Conan at the top of the uh McKeewa Hotel, beautiful facility. Um so it included that was the investment. Now, the week that we got our approval was the same week that the Albanese government announced that they're going to be capping the amount of international students coming into the country. Now, capping is probably not the right word because they are at pains not to use the word cap, but whatever the case was, it was a significant reduction. A significant reduction. So I thought, oh, that's great timing. Anyway, we were originally approved for 300 students, which we thought fantastic. We've got the facilities in which to do that. Um and uh because of this new policy that came in, we were allocated 16 students. 16 students. Doesn't quite add up, presumably based on your business cases. Yeah, the numbers don't add up. With the numbers were done, we did the numbers obviously on 100, on 200, on 300. We didn't do the numbers on the numbers on 16. It's just completely commercially unviable in which to do that. So I don't know what the government expected. Um so the next problem was that the government really did target vet um international market, and there were there were reasons for that too, Greg. I mean, for example, um there's some unscrupulous sort of providers that um were effectively acting like a migration factory. Um and they were ghost college. The term was ghost colleges where they'd they'd have three or five, let's say five hundred students. Um they'd have facilities, but no one was training. They were basically all out doing their own thing. Um that's because you can stay on as a student after your studies. Yeah, that's right. And that was extended as well over COVID, too. So um so people were paying big money to get training to these providers, but not but they didn't care about the actual training, they just wanted to get to the country, obviously, and work. So um, you know, but obviously too, the job of the regulators just to is to stamp that out because you not only do you have Askar involved, you've also got the Department of Immigration, because there's breaches here that are occurring within visa because they're within their visa conditions, because they're meant to be doing 20 hours full-time training per week, so that just wasn't happening. So that was pretty widespread, and that's been well documented too. Um but the problem is when the government generally react, the first reaction is to overreact, um, and then you get a lot of collateral damage. So we were sort of collateral damage, if you like, um, being just approved, obviously, you've got 16, that's it. But the next issue was what it then did to uh education agents, international education agents. So they're they're the lifeblood for RTOs in regards because they do the marketing and recruiting for you overseas. Um they were looking at Australia, especially the vet market, and saying, we're not even gonna bother. Yes, we've got some existing arrangements with some uh training providers, and we'll stick with those. But um we're not taking on any new business, and the primary reason is because Australia is very it's not friendly at all to and a lot of the vet-based visas that were being um applied for were being rejected, especially especially VET. So vet was targeted. So vet enrollments are down, who knows? It could be up to 50%, they're down, it's just significant in the international student market. So um the universities have fared okay, their numbers are still down considerably, but obviously they're a lot more influential in government circles than what the vet vet sector is, so government sort of looked after them a bit better. But um Ellicost as well, which is English language speaking as well, that's dropped significantly as well, along with vet vet enrollment. So um what started out a really good idea, Greg. Um thinking that hasn't panned out so has it hasn't really panned out, but that happens in business, doesn't it? So you are you still still persevering with it or scaled it back?

Pivoting To Corporate Short Courses

20:58

No, scaled it right back. We've we've we've basically now gone, hey, you know what, this was a great idea. We did everything right, we did all the planning that we needed to. It was just something that was completely out of our control, and um that can happen in business, you know, and and this is why it's really important to control the controllables and don't worry about those things that are out of your control. And um, but the good thing about small business is that you've got to be nimble, you've got to pivot, uh, you've got to diversify, and you've always had to do that. Um so what are we doing now? Well, we're moving into more non-accredited based training. We're doing a lot of work at the moment in the conflict management space, um, so conflict de-escalation, conflict resolution. Um I've been do I just developed a course in psychosocial hazards as well, which is really important now with changes in the um in Sex Discrimination Act, and it's quite topical at the moment with the Google versus tickle case. If you get some of that stuff wrong, right? So it's a real positive duty now for employers. So it's what have you done to prevent it? And and if you can't demonstrate you've done anything, then you could be in a bit of strife. So um Um so uh that's that's come on board that training. Um our beautiful facility that we have, well, we now open that up to corporates that need training sessions, we're open up to other training providers that are looking for a venue. So um, you know, when you've you've obviously been dealt that proverbial shit sandwich, um you've got to try and turn it into a you know, some quality uh fertilizer or something, you know, and make it in make it into something. So um, yeah, so it's it's certainly been a a challenge, but um we've still got a very uh well-established domestic market. Um although the GOSS has come off a little bit of traineeships and parenthips, we're still taking on plenty. Um our short course market with things like RSAs and so forth, they're still very strong, uh, even though they've come back a little because of the um, I guess the the current economic conditions, especially for hospitality. Like you talked, and I'm sure I'm sure you've spoken to a lot of hospitality establishments, Greg, um, of recent times, and they're all doing it super tough. Um, you know, and and what's the government's response to that? Well, let's slug them with portable long service leave, you know, then so which you've done a lot of work on, Greg. Yeah, and and it's good news that uh that's been delayed basically. It's been delayed, right? Um it's still a real issue there because it's just gonna come in effectively as an extra tax on the hospital sector, right? So yeah, that's right. That's right. And then and then you have the other things on the horizon, you're you know, payday super. I mean, what's the impact is that going to have on on cash flow of those businesses? Certainly hospitality business, it's not just hospitality business, any business, you know. But what about the increased amount of administration that's got to go on, that's got to sit behind that as well. So the impulse on small business is so much greater than big business, because big businesses have got the system to got the people to deal with that. We're

Small Business Pressure And New Taxes

23:48

we're recording this uh sort of a week after the federal budget this year, where there's been sweeping changes announced to capital gains tax and uh and the use of trusts and what have you. What's the impact of those, do you reckon, on on businesses like yours? Um it's gonna have a massive impact, certainly for the future. I mean, if you're a if you're a a young person and you're thinking about going into a business, um you're gonna be thinking twice about that. This is this is the problem. Like, and I I I I certainly realise that the chamber is want to be quite apolitical, its approach as it needs to be, but um, I I sort of as a as a business small business owner, I'm just a little bit disheartened and disillusioned by the government's approach. It just it just seems to be very anti-smusin. Um, and there's one thing that we don't want. I mean, in in Australia, as you know, it's always been that country to really promote um small business. Have a go, have a crack yourself. Um, yes, there's a risk, but there's a great reward if you can make it work. But I just feel like the government now is completely ignoring that risk factor and saying there's no difference between you as a small business owner and someone who's working for wages and a salary. And that's that's ridiculous. You just can't compare the two because of that element of risk that it that exists. So we're really stifling that big time ambition and um that young people might have. We're just sorry, yeah, and and that's one of the points we keep making to the politicians from the chamber's advocacy role is that you know the the small business owner ultimately, if the business has some problems, it's the house, it's the home, it's the savings, it's the car, it's everything that belongs to the small business owner that's potentially on the table and that they lose. It is um, I think, as you say, completely different from being in a waged position. Yeah, it certainly is. Certainly is. Um

Using AI To Build Better Training

25:34

yeah. Anyway, um look, let's talk a little bit more about AI, topical subject. How are you using AI in your business? Craig, I use AI every day. Um, and I use it to make me better. Uh obviously to be more productive. Um I use it for researching purposes. Um, and obviously, in saying that as well, you've got to be very careful with how you use it. Um, that's really important. I mean, you've got to be very conscious of what they refer to now as AI hallucinations, where it just makes stuff up. Um so I've certainly seen that with a number of things that I've done, but um you're checking everything basically that you do. So if I'm developing a course, new course, for example, then I will lean heavily on AI. Um I'm still spending pretty much the same amount of time on it, but it's just helping me uh make it better. That's that's a really interesting observation. So it's not necessarily saving you time, but it's delivering a better product at the end of the day for your customer. Yeah, absolutely. And um, with technology now, Greg, it's just amazing what you can do now. And so you can you know develop a new course. Um, for example, I have a subscription with Canva, so I can develop that course. I can then put it in a beautiful uh participant guide. Uh it looks like it's been done by a graphic designer. Um I can you know easily get that printed out, uh, can deliver it. We can like a you can do a very, very impressive PowerPoint presentation, you can do all these sort of things now that where before you may have had to outsource those. Um even web development, right? I mean, I developed our website um uh using Wix, and that was an incredible tool so uh to to use. So um, yeah. So I mean, but being a small business owner as well, I mean, it's not an area of the business that you don't touch, or you're not you're not involved in. So how big's your team, Mark? Well, we're not a big team, but there's really only about five of us now. Um we've sort of cut back a bit because um obviously of the the international student stuff didn't sort of pan out the way that we wanted it to. Um the gloss has come a little off the attorneyships and apprenticeship stuff. So um, yeah, and and what what's sort of left is we're still doing a lot of online-based stuff as well. So there's still still plenty going on, um, but not as probably much as I'd like. So hence why we need to move in different different directions, which which which we are. So we're just sort of going through that bit of a trough, if you like, and that's how small businesses work, peaks and peaks and troughs. So um, and that's certainly been the case over the last 20 20 20 years. Um, so but I'm still very optimistic about about the future. Um I think there's still plenty of opportunities um out there, and um so it's just about being ready to take to take those on. So um, but obviously with the use of things like especially with AI and stuff, it's it's it's a lot easier to adapt and adapt a lot quicker um to when you see these changes happening. Yeah. So

Pride In Service And The Road Ahead

28:35

Mark, 20 years in, 50,000 certificates down the track, uh, what are you most proud of in terms of what your business has achieved? Um I I think I think uh the fact that we are an incredibly important organisation um within the hospitality and tourism sector within the ACT. Um and certainly when it comes to your training on your your short courses, your RSAs and so forth, and this is a requirement that businesses need if you're gonna have staff serving alcohol. You've got to have your RSA certificate. Yeah, so we've we've issued, I'd have to say, of the 50,000 certificates, probably half would be RSAs. That's a lot of people who have been trained in how to pour a glass of wine. Yeah, absolutely. Or beer or whatever it might be, or refuse service or or or whatever. So um, but also our the our responsiveness to our employers' needs. Um like we we deal with over 250 different Canberra-based uh businesses, and and a lot of them will have needs they'll you know where they'll need it now. For example, we might have a uh a client ring up and they've got ACC health protection, they're doing an inspection, and they'll say, Mark, uh, I can't find uh my certificate or the certificate of uh my food safety supervisor, can you help me? Of course we can. Here you go. And and and and they'll have it within 30 seconds. Yeah, and that's one of the shapefile inspections. Right? Correct. Absolutely. Deliver to those cuttings. Absolutely. So, you know, you the the the bigger public-based providers just can't do that. There's it's obviously because of the bureaucracy that has to exist in those organizations. We don't have it in the smaller, in the smaller businesses. So that's why employers like to use us. And I mean, especially with an apprentice, for example, taking on an apprentice. I mean, they they'll ring us and we'll say, okay, well, this is what you need to do. So we'll walk them through the the the process. And look, we're not paid for that, but it's a very important part of the process, and that's why we're trusted. That's why they'll ring us first before they'll even ring, for example, the apprenticeship centre. So, Mark, what does the future hold? Good question. Good question. Um, obviously, we we we still do have our CRICOS registration, we're not handing that back anytime soon. We've just sort of put um our international uh endeavours on hold for a bit. Um, so that's still there. Um I want to certainly look at some other training packages potentially to go into as well, um, especially the the care economy. Um, so you know, aged care, disability care and so forth. I mean, some of those RTOs are involved in that space are thriving, especially ones that sort of sit around the NDIS, I guess, that are thriving quite well. Um, obviously your RTOs in construction and um electrotechnologies and renewables and so forth. So this there's lots of directions that you can move into. It's not an easy thing to do, but uh to jump into because you need qualified people in which to do that. So it's a big, big investment in which to do that. So um, but also we've done a lot of lot of a lot of government work as well. So we've even trained uh out at AMC, um so which was actually quite an enjoyable process. Training of the training of detainees, yeah. Yeah, so um giving them giving them some whether it's hospitality business-based skills, um, so that's been really important. Um so that's sort of slowed down, slowed up a little bit as well. Um, but there's always things that pop up, so it's about being ready um to be able to take on those opportunities when they when they uh uh are presented, and they will be, because that's what's happened over the last sort of 20 years. Um so we're ready. Fantastic. Well, Mark Field uh is the managing director of Access Recognized Trading. Thank you so much for joining me here on the Canberra Business Podcast. Greg, it's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you very much, mate. Uh it's been great having you here on the Canberra Business Podcast, Mark.

Final Thanks And How To Follow

32:30

Um, don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast platform for future episodes of the podcast. Uh, we'll catch you next time.