South Korean students give hospitality help

A group of South Korean students are set to help ease a hospitality staff shortage in Australia's Northern Territory.

Under a new agreement between a Korean University and Darwin's International College of Advanced Education, 20 South Korean hospitality students will work for Darwin businesses for four months while developing their language and job skills.

International College's Bryan Chapman told Radio Australia's Connect Asia the South Korean government has recognised that international experience for university students is a valuable thing for the economy and society, and have begun to provide low-interest loans for their travel.

Combined with the Australian Government's working holiday visa arrangement, young South Koreans are able to work and study in Australia with ease, Mr Chapman says.

Mr Chapman says the gaps in the Northern Territory hospitality scene are "pretty big."

"We've got employers really desperate for trained, willing staff who are willing to stick around for around six months.

"There's an absolute skills and labour crisis in Darwin and these students are going to really help out our industry up here while they gain the sort of exposure and experience that they are looking for."

Mr Chapman says the program will not only provide the students with employment skills, but a taste of Australian employment culture as well.

"The Australian hospitality language is its own dialect," he said.

"Formal English, while useful, doesn't really cover all of the ground that our internationals need."

Source: ABC News, 2 October 2012