Customer Service Skills to Meet Frontline Challenges
15 April

This interactive workshop will assist people in any role to develop better relationships with their customers and meet their organisation's goal of being a customer driven company.  This course will be very useful for counter staff, receptionists, truck drivers, tradesmen, installers and anyone who deals with customers face to face.

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OSH Legislation
10 April

This course will take you through your legal requirements and responsibilities in an interactive, action-learning environment.  It is designed for employers, managers, line supervisors, health and safety representatives or those responsible for Occupational Safety and Health in the workplace.

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Job Safety Analysis/Procedure 
30 April

This course shows you how to write a Job Safety Analysis and how to develop this into a procedure. Procedures for the 12 major hazards are included and a matrix is developed for procedural requirements within your workplace.

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As the safety representative for your business, you will face new challenges and responsibilities. This course will provide you with skills to manage your role.

Outcomes

This WorkSafe WA accredited course is designed to help build the knowledge, confidence and skills needed to be an effective Safety Representative. It will also provide you with the tools to improve the overall safety performance of your organisation.

Content

• understanding the basic legal requirements for safety at work;
• representing employees effectively;
• understanding the process for hazard identification, risk assessment and control;
• knowing how to conduct workplace inspections, accident investigations and job safety        analyses;
• identifying sources and finding information on safety matters, and;
• formulating an achievable safety action plan for your workplace.

Who should attend?

This program is designed exclusively for elected safety and health representatives. Employees who are not formally elected safety and health representatives should attend one of the following courses:

Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health

Managing Occupational Safety and Health

Role of the Safety Committee

Qualifications Available

Participants who attend this course will be offered the option to further their studies in OHS through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) by completing a workbook and portfolio of evidence within a given time frame. Upon successfully being assessed as competent in all six (6) units, they will be issued with a Certificate of Attainment which they can use to obtain exemptions on those units through RPL when completing a Cert III in OHS. There is an additional cost of $132.00 (inc. 10 per cent GST) per participant to undertake this additional assessment.

Duration: Five days

Dates: 5-9 May 2008

Course times: 8.30am - 4.30pm (8.15am registration)

Program fee: $765 members; $954 non-members (Prices include GST on lunch component only)

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Customer Service Skills to Meet Frontline Challenges

What does it take to provide consistently high standards of service day after day?

How can some people stay pleasant and positive and turn around even the most difficult of situations? What are the tips and techniques that can make a difference no matter what your customer service role? Attend this course and you will find out.

Outcomes

This interactive workshop will assist people in any role to develop better relationships with their customers and meet their organisation's goal of being a customer driven company.

Content

• what we mean by good customer service
• your attitude and the customers attitude
• taking a customer focused approach
• is the customer always right?
• communicating effectively with your customers
• questioning and listening skills
• do these skills work with internal customers?
• an Australian case study on video
• handling customer problems

Who should attend?

This course is for counter staff, receptionists, truck drivers, tradesmen, installers and anyone who deals with customers face to face.

Duration: One day

Dates: 15 April 2008

Course times: 8.30am - 4.30pm (8.15am registration)

Program fee: $363 members; $495 non-members (Prices include GST)

Click here to register

Workplaces need procedures for every aspect of their business.

Outcomes

This course shows you how to write a Job Safety Analysis and how to develop this into a procedure. Procedures for the 12 major hazards are included and a matrix is developed for procedural requirements within your workplace.

Who should attend?

This course is designed for anyone in your organisation who is responsible for the design and implementation of systems, policies and procedures.

Duration: One day

Time: 8.30am - 4.30pm (8.15am registration)

Dates: 30 April 2008

Program fee: $363 members; $495 non-members  (Prices include GST on lunch component only)

The number of cruise ships coming into Fremantle Port has grown tremendously since 2001, with Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan announcing 2008 would be Fremantle Port’s biggest cruise season in three decades.

This year there are 27 trips expected to the Port, which represents a 350 per cent increase.

The Funchal, a 430-passenger ship that has been seasonally based in Fremantle for the past four years, will be joined this year by two other ships using Fremantle as a base; the 800-passenger SuperStar Gemini and the 1,950-passenger Sun Princess.

These additional ships are expected to significantly increase the income generated in Western Australia by the cruise ship industry.

LIMITED OFFER! RTA EXCLUSIVE!

SWITCH ON to Energy Savings!

Do you want to save energy, save money and become an active participant in reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions?

What is the Small Business Climate Change Action Initiative?

The initiative aims to:

• assist business to reduce costs and environmental impacts by identifying opportunities for the management of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use;
• assist the Australian Government to understand small business greenhouse gas emissions and energy use behaviours, and;
• build an ongoing relationship with a cross section of small businesses nationally.

How can I participate?

The Australian Government is inviting 55 small businesses in Perth to take part in stage one of the Small Business Climate Change Action Initiative.

The targeted businesses are those with less than 20 employees who are not part of a chain or franchise and are not home businesses.  The business needs to have 12 months worth of energy bills available.

Deadlines are extremely tight on this exercise with assessments starting 12 May 2008. Hence, it is first come first served.  Be quick!

These businesses will receive a free greenhouse assessment that provides:

• one-on-one expert energy advice;
• an overview of their energy use and key sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and;
• a tailored action plan identifying opportunities for emissions reductions and cost savings.

Information from the program will shape the advice and tools provided to the business world to help fight climate change.

Your assessment will be carried out by Energetics.  Energetics is a specialist energy and environmental management company that has been selected to deliver this Small Business Climate Change Action Initiative on behalf of the Government.

Energetics is currently seeking expressions of interest from small businesses located here in Perth. 

To register, call the number provided or register online.

Telephone 1800 42 67 61
Website: www.energetics.com.au/climate500 
Email: Climate500@energetics.com.au

The Australian Government has announced that the Productivity Commission will undertake an inquiry into paid maternity, paternity and parental leave.

The Government’s stated intention is to “explore ways to make it as easy as possible for working mums to balance their employment with the important job of raising a new generation of Australians”.

In undertaking the inquiry the Commission is to:

1. identify the economic, productivity and social costs and benefits of providing paid maternity, paternity and parental leave;
2. explore the extent of current employer provision of paid maternity, paternity and parental leave in Australia;
3. identify paid maternity, paternity and parental leave models that could be used in the Australian context;
4. assess those models for their potential impact on:
• the financial and regulatory cost and benefits on small and medium sized business
• the employment of women, women's workforce participation and earnings and the workforce participation of both parents more generally
• work/family preferences of both parents in the first two years after the child's birth
• the post-birth health of the mother
• the development of young children, including the particular development needs of newborns in their first two years
• relieving the financial pressures on families
5. assess the cost effectiveness of these models;
6. assess the interaction of these models with the Social Security and Family Assistance Systems;
7. assess the impacts and applicability of these models across the full range of employment forms (e.g. including for the self-employed, farmers, shift workers), and;
8. assess the efficiency and effectiveness of government policies that would facilitate the provision and take-up of these models.

The Commission is to report by February 2009.  It has called for submissions by 2 June 2008 and will hold a public hearing in Perth on 29 May 2008.

CCI is preparing a submission in response to the Inquiry and will appear at the public hearing.  Members wishing to discuss the Inquiry or make comment about paid parental leave provisions operating in their workplace should contact Marcia Kuhne on 9365 7699 or email marcia.kuhne@cciwa.com or Jessica Price on 9365 7630 or email jessica.price@cciwa.com.

Record high occupancy rates among Perth hotels has seen it elevated to top ranking on Deloitte's 2007 global occupancy ranking index.

According to the Deloitte Global Performance Review report, Perth recorded a 10 per cent increase in occupancy since 2000, posting a high 85.1 per cent occupancy rate for 2007.

Panama came in at number two on the global occupancy index with 84.7 per cent occupancy, with Dubai third at 84.5 per cent.

Other Australian cities to make the top 20 in global occupancy ranking index were Brisbane at number four, Melbourne at number nine, and Sydney and Adelaide at 13 and 14 respectively.

The report said Perth's occupancy performance was the best for some years, and with no major hotel developments underway, business should remain excellent for the city's hoteliers.

European cities dominated the top spots on the revenue per available room index table, with Sydney the only Australian city to appear in the top 20 despite all major Australian cities recording double digit RevPAR growth that year.

More than $1.4billion of tourist accommodation is being planned throughout Western Australia, a massive $41.5million more than the same time last year.

Tourism Minister Sheila McHale said today that 134 projects were either in the planning phase or under construction, according to figures from the Tourism Accommodation Development Register.

“There are 86 projects in the planning phase and if they all materialise, an extra 5,285 new rooms will be available, which will boost tourism and create more jobs for Western Australians,” Ms McHale said.

“There are 48 projects worth about $428million currently under construction and once complete, more than 1,459 new rooms will be available.

“In addition to projects planned or under construction, 29 projects worth nearly $100million were completed during 2007, creating 1,238 new rooms in WA.”

The Minister said while major tourism accommodation projects were planned, underway or completed across the State, the South-West region in particular showed a significant amount of tourism development activity.

“The South-West continues to grow, with 32 projects worth more than $684million in the pipeline - including the $330million Canal Rocks Development in Yallingup,” Ms McHale said.

“Perth has 21 projects worth $374million in the planning stage, set to add 1,243 rooms to the accommodation register.

“The majority of these developments are outside the central business district.  However, two significant developments planned for inner-city Perth will help alleviate overflowing hotels by creating 156 new rooms.

“The Coral Coast region has nearly $74million worth of projects under construction, including the Mariner Resort, worth $20million, which will provide nearly 100 self-catering units.

“The Golden Outback region has nearly $54million worth of projects in the planning stage and it’s also encouraging to see development of four caravan parks completed during 2007.

“In addition to projects planned or under construction, 29 projects worth nearly $100million were completed during 2007, creating 1,238 new rooms in WA.”

The Minister said while major tourism accommodation projects were planned, underway or completed across the state, the South-West region in particular showed a significant amount of tourism development activity.

“The South-West continues to grow, with 32 projects worth more than $684million in the pipeline - including the $330million Canal Rocks Development in Yallingup,” Ms McHale said.

“Perth has 21 projects worth $374million in the planning stage, set to add 1,243 rooms to the accommodation register.

“The majority of these developments are outside the central business district.  However, two significant developments planned for inner-city Perth will help alleviate overflowing hotels by creating 156 new rooms.

“The Coral Coast region has nearly $74million worth of projects under construction, including the Mariner Resort, worth $20million, which will provide nearly 100 self-catering units.

“The Golden Outback region has nearly $54million worth of projects in the planning stage and it’s also encouraging to see development of four caravan parks completed during 2007.

“Five projects were completed in the North-West region worth $29million, providing 664 extra rooms for the region, including an eco retreat in Karijini National Park.”

The Tourism Accommodation Development Register is published twice a year and is available on the ‘investment opportunities’ section of http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au.