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.
The Travel Apprentice role is busy and varied, as it is designed to give Shannon as much exposure to the travel industry as possible. She works as a personal assistant, performing a variety of tasks, from making reservations and flight arrangements, to booking luxury travel packages such as cruising holidays. Eventually Shannon will take on some of her own clients and grow within the company.
Who could ask for a better introduction to the tourism industry? It goes without saying that Shannon was incredibly honoured to be given this opportunity.
“When I received the call saying that I got the job, I was so excited as this is what I wanted to do when I completed my ITC course,” Shannon said.
She credits ITC with helping her to prepare for the role, through both academic support and personal encouragement. She was given the practical skills necessary to succeed, such as training in the Amadeus online ticketing & reservations system, but also the motivation to follow her dreams.
Shannon is particularly grateful to Natasha Allen, the Campus Manager at ITC’s Botany premises. When Natasha saw the advertisement for a Travel Apprentice, she thought of Shannon straight away and encouraged her to apply for the role.
“[Natasha] is the one that helped me by believing in me and putting me forward to jobs,” Shannon said.
“I wouldn’t have found this job and applied without her advising me about it and encouraging me to go for it.”
The staff at ITC are dedicated to preparing students for the workforce, so it is always a pleasure to see someone start their dream career – it’s all part of what makes the job so rewarding. Natasha is proud of Shannon’s success so far.
“Shannon showed immense potential from day 1 of her course,” Natasha said.
“She had the right attitude, a beautiful smile and always dressed according to our industry standards uniform. Her proven customer service experience meant that once she had completed her qualification at ITC she was ready to hit the ground running. This was shown by her immediate success in gaining her first role in the T&T Industry with Avis.
“From there it was an easy step into this amazing opportunity with Bon Voyage as their travel apprentice. When I saw this role come in I thought of one person immediately – Shannon! I am so super proud of her success and look forward to her stories from her new role and perhaps one day will even be able to book an exotic trip with her!”
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