Our full-year learner data revealed a workforce-focused, mid-career audience enrolling in essential qualifications to meet job requirements, step into leadership roles and build sustainable careers in the hospitality and food service sectors.
In 2025, approximately 58% of learners were female, and 52% were aged 25-44, highlighting a strong mid-career audience. Most learners in this age group are already employed full-time, indicating that enrolment is largely driven by professionals balancing workplace responsibilities with mandatory training requirements.
For many, completing training is not just about maintaining compliance, but about exploring new opportunities and progressing within their existing roles too.
Across all demographics, job-mandated training requirements are the top reason for enrolment. This is especially evident for the Food Safety Supervisor course.
This data supports the importance of Food Safety Supervisor certification as a critical compliance credential for experienced professionals, as opposed to an entry-level qualification.
Food Handler course enrolments were also largely compliance-driven. Most learners are already working in the industry and require certification to meet workplace standards.
While compliance is the main reason for enrolment, entrepreneurial intent emerged as a significant secondary driver.
“Starting my own business” is the second most common reason for enrolling for approximately 17% of male learners and 12% of female learners.
This highlights food safety training as foundational knowledge for business ownership - not just employment.
It’s not just food safety that students focused on in 2025. Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) training continues to attract entry-level and early-career learners.
RSA Certificates play a key role as a first-job compliance credential, supporting young Australians entering the hospitality industry for the first time.
Over 85% of learners who identified as having diverse learning needs enrolled in either the Food Safety Supervisor or Food Handler course. This suggests a clear preference for essential compliance training that supports workforce entry and retention.
These results reinforce the important role that accessible online training plays in supporting workforce participation for learners who may otherwise face barriers to employment.
Around 2% of learners reported living with a disability.
Nearly 60% of the disabilities reported were health-related, and participation was strongest in the Food Safety Supervisor course across all disability types.
Approximately 2.6% of learners identified as Indigenous.
While this proportion is modest, it represents meaningful engagement. Access to flexible, nationally recognised online training supports broader workforce participation and helps ensure essential compliance training is accessible to diverse communities.
One in seven students speaks English as a secondary language, reinforcing that language is not a barrier to completing essential compliance training. Accessible, easy-to-follow online courses open food safety training to a broader and more diverse workforce.
Chinese is the most common language spoken other than English. The top five languages among multilingual learners are:
Online food safety training supports learners nationwide, allowing them to balance work, family and study commitments.
With a strong contingent of mid-career professionals, a large proportion of full-time workers, and consistently high numbers of compliance-driven enrolments, our 2025 student statistics confirm that food safety training is essential for professionals operating within Australia’s food and hospitality industries.
Ready to get involved? Explore our range of nationally recognised training programs online today, or contact us for help finding the right course for you.