Adventure sector facing trained worker shortfall after TAFE NSW scraps ropes courses
New South Wales' outdoor adventure and education sector is struggling to secure enough trained workers, two years after TAFE NSW discontinued a number of ropes training units.
A Certificate III or IV in Outdoor Leadership includes elective courses in skills such as top rope climbing and belaying, which are core for those wanting to work in the adventure tourism sector.
Business owners said the units in rope safety and awareness were critical for those wanting to work in canyoning or rock climbing, but students enrolled in the outdoor certificates through TAFE NSW had been unable to complete the modules in recent years.
Outdoors NSW & ACT chief executive Lorie Modde said an unfortunate tragedy might have prompted TAFE NSW to suspend the elective ropes courses, but lamented the lack of information surrounding it.
In October 2022, a student studying outdoor leadership died during a rope training course in the Blue Mountains.
SafeWork investigated and reported the death was linked to a rope release issue, but concluded no further action would be taken.
"We've been waiting since 2022 to find out what we could learn … to make sure there are better systems and better processes to go forward," Ms Modde said.
"Of a workforce that's over 50,000 people, roping is one of the mandatory requirements we need for school camps."
Ms Modde said nature therapy and tourism also needed trained guides.
A TAFE NSW spokesperson said elective roping units had not been offered since 2022 "following an assessment of the feasibility and level of student demand".
"It is standard practice for TAFE NSW to regularly review its course offerings, while continuing to meet the demands of students and industry," they said.
Ms Modde rejected that, and said the industry had a shortfall of about 3,300 workers across full-time, part-time and casual roles that required roping skills, according to a 2025 industry survey.
"TAFE NSW's withdrawal effectively turns its back on a wide web of industries and communities who rely on this training for safety and service delivery," Ms Modde told ABC Radio Sydney.
The Blue Mountains is a hub for adventure tourism, with 4.4 million visitors each year, according to Destination NSW.
More than 47,000 of those visitors take part in activities requiring trained guides, according to figures from Outdoors NSW & ACT.
While ropes training is no longer available through TAFE NSW, students can choose to complete individual units — or the entire outdoor leadership course — at private institutions across Australia, with domestic course fees ranging up to $18,600 for the Certificate IV.
But the site of private training providers can make this complicated, with the closest available to the Blue Mountains located 165 kilometres away in Lake Macquarie.
Hugh Ward is an owner and director at the Blue Mountains Climbing School, which relies on part-time and casual staff to run recreational climbing and canyoning courses, as well as guided experiences for school and corporate groups.
He said the decision to stop ropes training was complicated but was "choking off the supply line" of people equipped to handle complex outdoor situations.
"My sense is that adventure tourism is growing in the mountains, [but] the [training course] places are becoming harder to get," he said.
He noted the lack of any fee-free training at TAFE NSW as a primary driver of missing qualifications.
Mr Ward described TAFE NSW's consultation with the sector as having "no straight answers" and said the characterisation of student demand was not a "true and accurate representation".
"Our day-to-day is OK. Where it gets complicated is when we have a few trips out … we have to say no to things," he said.
TAFE NSW said it had consulted with the adventure tourism industry on the changes as recently as last month.
Blue Mountains Adventure Company manager Andy Mein echoed the concerns and said "all available guides" were needed for school programs, with the business "struggling" to meet demand for skilled guides with any further growth.
Mr Mein said as previous TAFE graduates naturally moved to other areas or jobs, no rope trained guides would fill the void and businesses would be forced to restrict what they could offer.
Though the flow-on effects of restricting visitor numbers were the main economic concern for the sector, Mr Ward said the mental health, risk management and communication skills developed in the outdoors benefited everyone.
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