ITC graduate becomes Bon Voyage’s new Travel Apprentice

ITC graduate Shannon Bailey has landed an exciting new role with Bon Voyage travel specialists in Parnell.

When Shannon Bailey graduated from the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC), she had a few goals in mind. One was to land a dream job in the tourism industry. Little did she know what was just around the corner!

Shannon has landed more than a dream job – she’s kickstarted a dream career. She was recently picked to be Bon Voyage’s new ‘Travel Apprentice’. Bon Voyage is a specialist travel agency based in Parnell, Auckland and one of New Zealand’s top selling consultants.

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“The happiest place…”

Cara (left) working at Disneyworld in Florida after completing her course at ITC, with Natasha (right) ITC Campus Manager Botany

Natasha Allen, ITC Campus Manager Botany, recently returned from a trip to the happiest place in the world, where she caught up with ITC graduate Cara Adams.

Natasha says the excitement of the trip started before they had even left New Zealand at the Koru Lounge at Auckland’s International Airport where she, her husband and their two very excited children sampled the complimentary food (and Natasha and her husband the wine) before boarding their flight. (more…)

ITC’s Top 10 tips on how NOT get an interview

ITC are happy to help all their students ensure their CV is the best!

ITC’s Marketing Director Claire shares her top tips for improving your interview game. (more…)

Disney 2014 – new friends, a second family and the experience of a lifetime

Cara ITC Graduate now working at Disney, (in the red top) in Orlando. What an experience.

ITC Graduate Cara Adams tells us about her experience at Disney.

How do I even start to talk about this journey, it has been such a rollercoaster ride? I am so happy that I chose to do this; I have grown while being here and have met friends that I will keep forever. There have, of course, been ups and downs in the six months I have been here so far, but all of them have been an important part of this amazing experience. (more…)

ITC Graduation 2014

ITC students celebrating their success at their Graduation at The Langham Hotel in Auckland on Friday 13th June.

Friday the 13th was not unlucky for the latest batch of ITC graduates; in fact, it was the perfect night to celebrate our graduates’ success as they embark on the next chapter in their lives.

One of the most important aspects of study at ITC is the focus on industry-relevant training, and we are grateful, as always, to the members of the travel and tourism industry who contribute so much to our graduation celebrations. (more…)

ITC Students shine at TRENZ 2014

ITC’s students have once again proven themselves at the Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand 2014 (TRENZ) event.

The students volunteered through the TRENZ Student Ambassador Programme. They provided support and assistance at the event, which saw approximately 1100 TRENZ delegates, international visitors and event sponsors come together at the Queens Wharf complex on Auckland’s Waterfront. (more…)

ITC offers diploma qualification to Botany students

ITC welcomes their first Diploma class to their Botany Campus.

The International Travel College (ITC) Diploma in Tourism and Travel Management will be offered at the ITC Botany Campus from 2014, allowing students to take their studies to the next level.

“This is the first time a diploma-level qualification has been available to our South Auckland students,” says ITC’s Marketing Director Claire Huxley. “Previously, students have travelled to our City Campus for this course.” (more…)

Auckland Airport and ITC Volunteer Work Experience Programme

One of the benefits of studying with ITC is the great industry connections we have. One of those connections is with Auckland Airport, and we have placed over 20 proactive students in volunteer roles as Domestic Terminal Airport Hosts. This is a fantastic stepping stone to a career in the aviation, travel and tourism industries. (more…)

An insight into Emirates

Chelsea at Emirates Aviation College in Dubai.

ITC graduate Chelsea McNeil has achieved a fantastic role at Emirates. She recently moved to Dubai and completed her training at Emirates Aviation College. Here she gives us an inside look at what it’s like once you land your dream job!

The first week focused on inducting the new recruits into the Emirates team. Chelsea says this involved medical checks, lots of speeches from different departments, and uniform fitting. The training group was also split into four batches of around 15 people for team-building activities.

“I was pretty exhausted that first week – getting up at 5am and still feeling a little jet lagged from the flight over – but I soon adjusted,” she says.

With the initial induction over, the training began in earnest.

First up was 13 days of training on safety and emergency procedures.

“The training is intense,” says Chelsea. “You learn so much in one day and then you get home and study everything you’ve learnt that day, plus more for the next day, plus homework.”

“We had practical exams every day in the amazing simulators – they create such a real environment especially during turbulence and decompression scenarios.”

The three trainers (from India, Mauritius and South Africa) were “awesome” she says.

After safety and emergency training, Chelsea had her first weekend off without any study.

She started off with some shopping at the massive Dubai Mall: “Over 1200 shops! I only managed to walk around half of the mall in 4 hours!”

Sheikh Zayed Road, home to most of Dubai’s skyscrapers is also spectacular, says Chelsea, especially at nighttime when all the buildings are lit up.

Back at training the following week Chelsea and her classmates undertook group medical training.

“It’s a little more extensive than a general First Aid course,” she jokes. “It takes about 5 days and I even learnt how to deliver a baby!”

After medical training the team picked up their uniforms and rushed home to try them on.

Image and grooming training followed. “This is a fun day where we learnt about skin care, makeup, hair, nails, fitness and nutrition and uniform.”

Next on the schedule was security. Here the trainees learnt how to conduct all security checks on board, learnt about hijacking and bomb threats and how to react in those situations.

The final part of training was service, and Chelsea says that once again the fantastic trainers made it a lot of fun.

Three final practical assessments in the simulator tested the trainees on everything they had learnt – medical, security, safety and emergency.

“It was our chance to practice everything we learnt and put it together,” says Chelsea. “It was such a great feeling to finish training!”

The graduates were then assigned their first two flights, where they are able to observe everything and experience what happens in the real world.

Chelsea’s first flight was to Chennai in India (MAA) on the Boeing 777, and she loved it.

“It was a turnaround flight, so 4 hours there and 4 hours straight back. The coolest thing was being able to sit in the cockpit for takeoff and landing. The 180-degree view was incredible.”

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