A nationally recognised leader in apprenticeships and traineeships has been appointed to the Australian Travel Careers Council (ATCC) Industry Advisory Board.
Based in New South Wales, Michael Bennett (pictured below) brings deep regional insight and more than two decades of experience shaping workforce development across Australia.
He is a former Chair of Group Training Australia (now the National Apprentice Employment Network) and the Group Training Association of NSW & ACT, and currently serving as Project Manager at VERTO, a not-for-profit organisation offering a wide range of employment, training and community services with 133 locations across NSW, ACT and QLD.
Rick Myatt, ATCC CEO, welcomed the appointment, highlighting its alignment with the Council’s commitment to strengthening travel career pathways in regional and rural communities.
“Regional career seekers bring a unique perspective compared to their metro counterparts. It’s a privilege to support Rick and the ATCC team in their vital work encouraging people to pursue travel industry pathways,” Mr Bennett said.
The announcement comes as the ATCC marks a dramatic resurgence in industry traineeships.
Data from Training Services NSW reveals that traineeship enrolments have soared from just seven in September 2025 – when the sector faced the threat of collapse – to 143 active trainees today, with 20–30 new entrants each month over the past six months.
