Closed borders? No problem! ITC continues working with international students
ITC tutor Sarah Rouse with some of her group during the International Summer Holiday short course.
New Zealand’s border have been closed to all but residents and citizens for almost a year, but that hasn’t stopped ITC from building and maintaining relationships with international students.
In fact, ITC has recently provided a short course for international students here in New Zealand, and an opportunity for local students to watch a presentation from a high school in Japan.
Here’s a little more about each of those events.
ITC’s International Summer Holiday short course
Due to the pandemic, many international students are in New Zealand without much to do over the summer break. Fortunately, ITC’s January short course for international students has provided a fantastic opportunity for them to learn new things, meet new people, and experience some of the best New Zealand has to offer.
ITC tutor Sarah Rouse ran this level-3 short course for a group of international students who chose to stay in New Zealand rather than return home overseas. Despite the closed borders, the group included students from Thailand, Japan, China, and even New Zealand.
The group were interested in Sarah’s own tourism background, and Sarah loved hearing about all of their backgrounds and stories just as much. The students were able to chat and get to know each other as they studied and worked their way through the course.
“The group we had absolutely loved our program. They found it more interactive than high school with more one on one time, more “chill”, and they said I explained things in a way they could understand,” said Sarah.
Three of the students have already expressed their interest in returning during the April school holidays to continue with the Travel Short Course with Sarah.
ITC’s Zoom presentation with Naha Kokusai High School in Japan
On January 19, our Japanese tutor organised an international Zoom call with the Naha Kokusai High School in Japan. This group put on a fascinating presentation on Zoom, and ITC level 5 Diploma students were invited to attend and take part.
The presentation included an opening address, students speaking about their culture and experiences, a question and answer time for ITC students to find out more, and even some time for ITC’s staff to ask questions and make comments.
The event was, without doubt, a resounding success.
The presentations were wonderful, with students learning a lot from one another and connecting despite the huge geographical and cultural differences. Everyone had a fantastic time, and some students have already continued online connections via Tik-Tok and Instagram.
Additionally, many students wished the exchange could have continued, which is why we hope to set up more presentations and opportunities for this meeting of cultures, and perhaps even an international exchange system in the future!
These two examples are just a couple of ways ITC is working to continue to offer opportunities for learning and growth both here in New Zealand and overseas. Discovering other cultures and learning more about New Zealand is a big part of stepping into the tourism and travel industry, and we will always support our students in these worthy endeavours.
If you’re interested in ITC’s short courses or campus study to learn about travel, tourism, and aviation both here and overseas, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Campus Study – college@itc.co.nz 0800 TOURISM (0800 868747) or https://www.itc.co.nz/contact-us/
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