SaCSA is inviting people working across Australia's service industries to share their career journey as part of a national workforce planning initiative.

Workers in the Hairdressing, Barbering, Beauty, Floristry, Retail, Tourism or Hospitality industries — share your journey!

Help shape the future of Australia's service industries

As part of our Scoping Service Sector Futures: Career Journey Mapping project, Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA) is building a clearer picture of how people enter, progress and build careers across the Personal Services, Retail, Tourism and Hospitality sectors.

We are mapping career pathways to better understand:

How careers begin and progress
Common transition points and challenges
Skills development pathways
Barriers to attraction and retention

Insights from this work will support improved training pathways, workforce planning and policy development.

Who can participate?

We are seeking people who are currently working, or have recently worked, in one of the areas of work listed below. We are interested in hearing from people at all career stages, including:

Apprentices and trainees
Entry-level employees
Experienced professionals
Supervisors and managers
Business owners and senior leaders

We welcome participation from people in metropolitan, regional and remote areas.

What is involved?

Participation will include:

A one-on-one online interview (approximately 45 to 60 minutes), and/or
An online validation workshop with peers (approximately 60 to 90 minutes)

Sessions will be conducted online and scheduled at mutually convenient times. You may be invited to participate in one or both activities, depending on your interest and availability.

Specific Areas of Work

Personal Services (Hairdressing, Barbering, Beauty, Floristry, Funeral Services)

Hair Salon Management

Trainee/Apprentice, Senior Stylist, Hairdresser/Barber, Manager/Leader, Owner/Operator, Regional Manager

Beauty Salon Management

Trainee/Apprentice, Beauty Therapist, Make up/Nail Artist, Owner/Operator, Manager/Leader, Regional Manager

Retail Floristry

Trainee/Apprentice, Junior/Assistant Florist, Florist, Senior Florist, Lead Designer

Funeral Services

Office Admin, Assistant, Junior/Trainee, Arranger, Conductor/Director, Mortician, Cremator, Embalmer

Retail

Wholesale

Distributor, Sales Rep, Supply Chain/Logistics, Account Executive, E-Commerce, Trade Sales, Manager/Head, General Manager, Director

Retail Management

Assistant, Supervisor, Manager, Area/Operations Manager, E-Commerce, Customer Experience, Owner

Community Pharmacy/ Retail Pharmacy

Assistant, Dispensary/Pharmacy Technician (All Grades), Manager, Supervisor, General Manager, E–Commerce, Owner

Retail Buying

Trainee, Inventory, Allocator, Buyer, Manager, Planner, Owner

Visual Merchandising

Visual Merchandiser, Store Designer, Manager/Coordinator, Creative Director/ Head, Owner

Tourism

Travel Agency Management/Ownership

Travel Consultant, Team Leader, Manager, General Manager, Managing Director, Owner

Conference and Event Management

Assistant/Coordinator, Executive/Supervisor/Team Leader, Manager, Head/Director/Account Director, General Manager  

Tours and Experiences

Driver Guide, Guide, Operator, Manager/Leader, General Manager

Wholesale

Coordinator, Consultant, Manager, Product Executive, Head, General Manager, Director

Hospitality

Café or Restaurant Management

Front of House/Waitstaff, Barista, Bar Attendant, Kitchenhand, Chef, Manager, Owner/Operator, Shift Manager 

Hotel or Motel Management

Concierge, Supervisor, Rooms Division Manager, Duty Manager, F&B Manager, Director of Sales, General Manager, Area Vice President

Licensed Club Management

Waitstaff, Bar Attendant, Admin & Office Roles, Kitchen Staff, Gaming Attendant, Supervisor, Assistant Managers/Managers 

Chef

Apprentice, Kitchenhand, Demi Chef, Cook, Chef, Chef de Partie, Sous Chef, Head Chef, Executive Chef/Group Executive Chef

By taking part, you will:

Help

improve understanding of career pathways across Australia's service industries

Support

future workforce planning and training initiatives

Contribute

to stronger career pathways for future workers

Ensure

industry experience informs future skills and qualification development

Register your interest

Complete the Expression of Interest form below. A member of the SaCSA team will contact selected participants with next steps.

Submit Expression of Interest

Important Information

SaCSA does not provide honorariums for participation in research interviews, workshops, or consultation activities.

Our role as the Jobs and Skills Council for the arts and creative industries is to bring together professional insights from across the sector to inform workforce planning, policy advice, and system-level reform. Participation in our work is voluntary and is an opportunity for you to contribute towards shaping how the arts workforce is recognised, supported, and developed nationally.

We value the expertise and experience shared by those who take part and acknowledge the important role these contributions play in strengthening the future of the sector.

Information collected through this form will be used for the purposes of the Career Journey Mapping project and related workforce planning activities. Your data will be handled in accordance with SaCSA’s privacy obligations. We use a secure, custom AI tool to assist with organising data and identifying themes. No video or audio recordings are used, and all written content is de-identified (with personal details removed) before any analysis takes place. The data is not used to train AI models and is deleted once the task is complete.