Crown Melbourne to train 1,000 hospitality workers

Crown Melbourne has announced it will run a training programme for 1,000 hospitality workers in a bid to help solve a skills shortage in Victoria.

Australia.- Crown Melbourne has announced that it will provide free, paid hospitality training to 1,000 Victorians together with the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Australian Hotels Association (Victoria).

The casino operator said the programme aims to help address the skills shortage in the industry and to support its Covid-19 recovery. Once the successful applicants complete the course, candidates will be matched with businesses looking for skilled workers.

Enda Cunningham, Crown Melbourne executive general manager food and beverage, said: “We are proud to be able to contribute and help the industry get back on track by skilling up a thousand workers.”

Paul Guerra, Victorian chamber chief executive, added: “Businesses have not just been forced to close for months on end; they also lost some of their best talents who were forced to look for work in other industries.

“Crown is known for its training standards and is a major hospitality employer in Australia. Providing that training for the rest of the industry to benefit will help lift the industry and kick-start its recovery.”

Crown Resorts revenue down 31% for FY21

Crown Resorts Limited has shared its financial results for the fiscal year 2021, reporting revenue down 31 per cent year-on-year to AU$1.5bn (US$1.1bn). Reported EBITDA was down 77 per cent to AU$114.1m. Crown reported an NPAT loss of AU$261.6m.

The company attributed the losses to the Covid-19 restrictions and multiple countermeasures ordered by the government as well as the temporary closures of Crown Melbourne and Crown Perth.

Jane Halton, Crown’s interim Chairman, said: “2021 has been a challenging year for Crown, with intense regulatory scrutiny and unprecedented impacts on business operations from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Crown Melbourne reported theoretical revenue of AU$582.5m, down 60.6 per cent. Main floor gaming revenue was AU$406.9m, down 54.3 per cent. That comprises table games revenue of AU$241.2m, down 56.0 per cent, and gaming machine revenue of AU$165.7m, down 51.5 per cent.

Crown Melbourne VIP revenue plummeted 98 per cent to AU$4.4m as gaming operations were closed for 160 days of the financial year.