ITC short courses inspire secondary school students to study tourism at tertiary level
A group of secondary school students learn about NZ’s exciting tourism industry thanks to an interactive ITC short course.
The International Travel College of New Zealand’s passion for the tourism industry has inspired a cohort of secondary school students to pursue this exciting career choice.
Every year, the ITC short course team educates hundreds of 15, 16 and 17 year olds about New Zealand’s airline, travel and tourism industry, through interactive lessons, practical activities and industry visits.
The aim of these short courses is to show students what it’s really like to work in tourism, so they have plenty of information when it comes to making a decision about what to study when they leave school.
While some go on to pursue other passions, many short course students ‘catch the tourism bug’ and decide to study the subject at tertiary level. This is a great win for the tourism industry, which is currently in a high-growth phase in New Zealand and in need of skilled, motivated workers.
ITC Short Course Team Leader Melissa Fey says one of the highlights of her job is showing students what kind of opportunities are available to them.
“We aim to inspire our students and make an impact on their life, to encourage them to follow their dream careers – whatever they may be,” says Melissa.
“We love being a key part of encouraging youth to reach their career goals.”
In 2015, ITC has more than doubled their offsite short courses and seen an increase of 20 per cent in onsite short course numbers, providing credits, experience and contacts to a wide variety of students.
The majority of courses are taught in Auckland, but ITC continues to expand to regional New Zealand – the short course team travelled to Nelson, Rotorua, Christchurch, Taranaki, Wellington, Paihia and Whangarei this year.
Through their involvement with schools, the short course team also reaches a number of international students.
“This has been a great opportunity to showcase our local tourism industry at its best to overseas students,” says Melissa.
“We’ve taught students from Germany, China, Korea, Brazil, Switzerland, Tonga, the Philippines and more.”
It’s been a big year for the short course team and they show no signs of slowing down in 2016.
“What’s ahead for next year? New destinations, new courses and even a new team member!” says Melissa.
The short course team is also currently undergoing a rebrand and will launch as the Tourism Education Team in early 2016 – watch this space!
For more information about ITC short courses, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Melissa and the team are always open to partnering with new secondary schools and looking for new ways to educate students about the airline, travel and tourism industry.
Posted in In Schools, In the Community, News | Tagged ITC, tourism education, tourism in secondary schools, Tourism Industry | Leave a reply