Travel and tourism comes to the mall

The ITC team in Botany Town Centre

ITC staff and students had a fantastic day promoting the college and the airline, travel and tourism industry at Botany Town Centre.

The college had a promotional stand at the mall and attracted a great deal of attention.

“We all had fun chatting to the numerous friendly shoppers about the amazing courses we offer,” says Natasha Allen, Campus Manager Botany. “People were really interested to hear about the thrilling famil trip and the work experience week, which literally gives our students a foot in the door of our dynamic industry.”

The ITC stand featured photo books and cardboard cut-outs of an AJ Hackett tour guide and an ITC flight attendant.

“The cut-outs had holes so that people could put their own faces through and pose as the tour guide or flight attendant. It attracted so many people, young and old; it helped to fire people’s imagination about what it might be like to be in those roles.”

“This event really highlighted to everyone we met that travel and tourism is a fun, vibrant career option and ITC is definitely the place to start your journey,” says Natasha.

Keep an eye out for ITC’s promo guys and girls dressed in our funky white Kia Ora t-shirts in January and February. They will be in Botany Town Centre and at Maraetai, Cockle Bay and Eastern Beach shouting out that ITC is the place to study in 2014.

ITC Botany is proud to announce that we will be running our Level 5 Diploma in Travel & Tourism Management next year. There are only a handful of spaces left, and the first class is in March – so get in quick!

ITC Voted Leading Travel Training Institution

The team at ITC are thrilled to be winners again!!

The International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) has been voted New Zealand’s Leading Travel Training Institution in the Travel Digest Travel Industry Awards 2013.

“What makes this award such an honour is that it is voted for by members of the industry,” says ITC’s Marketing Director Claire Huxley.

“We have such a strong focus on making sure our graduates are genuinely prepared for work in travel, tourism and airlines, and this award acknowledges that we are getting it right.”

Travel Digest also lists ITC’s achievement of Category One status in the NZQA EER audit (the highest education rating) and its membership of internationally recognised quality brand Quality Education as contributing factors to its success.

“It’s important to us that our quality is made visible through NZQA audits and through our connections with associations like Quality Education,” says Claire.

“It’s critical that our students have confidence in us, and it inspires all of us at the college to keep contributing to this industry that we love.”

ITC’s students certainly reap the benefits of the college’s strong industry reputation. Numerous opportunities to explore the industry first hand through trips and hands-on work experience and job placements all add to the college’s high job placement rate.

“This is an industry where the strength of your contacts is crucial. Our students constantly make us proud by showing employers their commitment and passion for this sector. And employers repay that by providing employment and training opportunities for our students.”

“We are grateful to Travel Digest for running these awards that showcase the best of our industry, and we would like to thank the people and organisations who voted for us.”

“An Excellent Match” – ITC’s new partnership with Sterling Business College

The International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) has forged a partnership with Sterling Business College in Perth, Western Australia. The partnership will see students pathway from Sterling’s Level II – IV certificates to higher study at ITC.

“We are thrilled to be working with Sterling Business College,” says ITC Marketing Director Claire Huxley. “They offer one of Australia’s best travel and tourism programmes, and we have a lot in common in terms of the aims we have for our students.”

Sterling’s Principal Janelle Dawson agrees: “This partnership is an excellent match, as both colleges provide quality training and have great student outcomes.”

Both ITC and Sterling pride themselves on their personal investment in each student.

“People know each other at ITC,” says Claire. “Students study and work closely with each other, and the tutors know each of the students and what their dreams are. It’s a very personalised approach. Sterling has the same philosophy of working with each of the students to help them realise their goals.”

Both colleges encourage international students and Claire sees the possibility for ITC students to also spend time at Sterling.

“This partnership opens the door to opportunities for ITC students in Western Australia. This industry is all about making connections across the globe and we are thrilled to have made this connection with Sterling Business College.”

Janelle also sees the positive impact this will have on her students.

“We are delighted to extend this great opportunity to our students to be able to further their studies in travel and tourism in New Zealand. They now have the opportunity to travel, study and live in two different countries. What could be better for a tourism student?”

Are you ready to fly high?

ITC distance learning students attending workshops, helping them achieve their goals

The International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) offers travel, tourism, and airline courses, and we work hard to get our graduates jobs in those industries. We want them all to fly high with their career, life and goals!

ITC offers its courses on campus and by distance online learning. If you are at home with young children, live too far from a campus, or you work and cannot attend daily classes, then distance online learning would be an ideal option for you.

These courses include all the learning resources, tutorial support, online communication and assessments you will need. You will be part of a class with fellow distance learning students from all around the country.

There are only two workshops to attend: Orientation Day, where you will get to meet your classmates, and the Customer Service workshop later in the course. Both workshops are at our Auckland campuses. This is what one of our graduates has to say about studying with ITC: “I want to say thank you to ITC for helping me get to my dream job.  Doing the ITC course has really paid off and now I wake up every morning excited about going to work. Words cannot express my gratitude.”

ITC has been a premium supplier in the airline, airport and travel and tourism industries for over 16 years. The college has strong connections in those industries and focuses on making its training relevant to employers. We also offer a job placement service to assist you in finding a job in travel, tourism or aviation!

Find out how you can launch your career by phoning the ITC team now on 0800 868 747, or check our website www.itc.co.nz and enquiry online.

Top IATA Performer again at ITC

International Travel College (ITC) student Hayley Miles has received a special commendation from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for being the top performer in New Zealand in their September exams.

The IATA is an international trade body that represents some 230 airlines comprising 93% of scheduled international air traffic.

The International Travel College is an IATA Authorized Training Center (ATC), which allows it to teach the IATA Travel and Tourism and Aviation training programmes.

As well as achieving the top performer award for the exams, Hayley also passed the IATA Foundation Diploma with Distinction.

Hayley started with ITC in January 2012 after graduating from Massey High School. She completed both the Certificate in Travel and Tourism and the Certificate in International Travel and Tourism, passing both with Distinction.

She is currently studying ITC’s Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management, which finishes in March 2014.

In October Hayley started a part-time role as a junior travel consultant at United Travel Westgate and upon completion of her studies next year will take up a full-time position there.

This is the third time that an ITC student has been the top IATA student, and Marketing Director Claire Huxley says it is a great endorsement of the staff at ITC.

“We know our tutors and staff love this industry and have a huge amount of experience to pass on. But they go the extra mile by offering such fantastic support and guidance for their students – they work hard to see them get the experience they need to succeed and to give them the confidence they need to really go for it.

“Our tutor Steve Burke in particular is a marvel at IATA and without his knowledge, dedication and sheer tenacity our students wouldn’t have the opportunity to achieve such greatness.”

“We are so proud of Hayley. She embodies our philosophy of working hard to achieve your dream. This is a well-deserved achievement and we congratulate her on her success.”

ITC Gives Northland Students a Taste of the Action

A new initiative from International Travel College (ITC) gives students from outside the main centres the chance to experience the opportunities available in the airline, travel and tourism industries.

“We are very aware that there are high school students around the country who simply don’t have the access to training opportunities that students in the larger cities have,” says ITC’s Marketing Director Claire Huxley.

“It’s not just a lack of training institutions in those areas, but there are few chances for students to even explore whether they are interested in pursuing a particular field of study.”

To combat this, ITC recently provided its two-day Flight Attending Short Course to students in Northland.

“We contacted all the high school careers advisors in the area,” says Claire, “and they were absolutely thrilled to be able to offer this to their students. We also have a great relationship with Fullers and we contacted them to see if they could help us out.”

Fullers Great Sites offered its vessel ‘Tongariro’, to stand in for the aircraft cabin for the full two days of the course.

ITC’s Short Course Tutor Mel Verwijmeren ran the course. She provided students with practical role-play experience using onboard equipment, and taught them skills related to in-flight service, safety demonstrations, evacuations and how to deal with passengers’ specific needs.

An added bonus of running the course onboard a ship, says Mel, was how transferable those skills are from airline travel to the open ocean.

“The students learnt about the entry level roles onboard these vessels, giving them a greater understanding of what further education was needed to step into such roles.”

“And thanks to Barry, the Operations Manager of Fullers Great Sites, our students got a real taste of what the travel and tourism industry has to offer, as we visited local tourist attractions the R-Tucker Sail Boat, Dolphin Explorer, Overnight Cruise Ipipiri and the Exciter, which is equipped with not one but four V8 engines!”

This first step in ITC’s new initiative has been incredibly successful, and several of the students have already enrolled with ITC for 2014, and a number were even offered work experience onboard one of the Fullers Great Site vessels.

“Mel worked incredibly hard to provide these students with the same experience students from Auckland schools get with our short courses,” says Claire. “And the feedback from teachers and students has been excellent. These students now have another option available to them, and that takes them one step closer to their dream job.”

ITC will be continuing to offer its short courses to high school students outside Auckland, with the next course to be run in Gisborne.

Students and employers meet at ITC Botany

ITC’s Botany Campus held its industry expo on 3 September. As always the campus and students were looking immaculate.

Another excellent group of speakers , with guests from American Express Travel, AVSEC, Auckland Bridge Climb and Bungy, Explore NZ, Harvey World Travel and Intercity.

Each presenter was assigned two students to help them set up and to keep a steady stream of tea and coffee flowing. As many excited students had arrived early, a number of presenters had to walk through the crowd by the entrance to the college, with one commenting that it was like being a film star on the red carpet!

The students were very impressed with each of the presentations, but the array of prohibited items confiscated by AVSEC at the airport caused the most interest – it is amazing to see what people think they can legitimately bring through security at our airports!  The goodies from American Express were also a big hit, especially the flasks.

Employers certainly view the ITC expo as a recruitment tool and are always on the lookout for their next super star. The presenters discussed the students, particularly those who asked questions throughout the presentations – those students did their employment chances no harm at all. Every year there are a number of students at each campus who gain part-time or full-time employment due to first the impression they make in the presenters during the expo.

The day finished with staff and presenters sharing a well-earned lunch, which allows ITC staff to interact with the industry representatives in an informal setting with a lot of information gathering and sharing on both sides.

The students got a great deal out of the day and their feedback was overwhelming positive:

“Helped by explaining different options that I hadn’t thought about before.”

“The day helped me to broaden my career thoughts and expand my knowledge on companies that I never would have though of as a career choice.”

“Gave me options to think about. Positive thoughts gained.”

“Made me realise there is more to life than flight attending.”

“Described the things we needed to have to be able to apply for their jobs.”

“Presenter spoke clearly and had valuable info about the company.”

“Very organised, was a good speaker and the content was interesting.”

“Explained more about what we should know about the job and also the qualification and requirements that they needed.”

“They made me want to apply for their job, presented it well.”

ITC Students meet the Industry!

ITC’s City Campus held its industry expo on 27 August.

Presenters from seven companies came to speak to the students and we are very grateful to AVSEC, American Express Travel, Auckland Bridge Climb and Bungy, Eco Zip, Intercity, Renaissance Tours, and Stray for their presentations.

The expo had a professional feel, as ITC wanted the students to experience a real industry event. The presenters had banners and posters promoting their businesses and the students all arrived looking very professional.

The students were organised into seven groups and each presenter gave a 20-minute presentation to each of the groups throughout the morning.

The main purpose of each presentation was to enlighten our students about the company, the sector of travel and tourism in which the company specialises, the speaker’s story of how they got to where they are today and some useful recruitment information. The presenters do amazingly well to fit all this into 20 minutes!

Most of the presenters brought an ITC graduate who is now working with them. This gave the current students are real sense that the careers they were discussing were achievable, as the students could identify with the graduate as someone like themselves.

The day went without a hitch, with students moving quickly between sessions and quiet reigning over the whole college during the presentations.

The expo was also open to our Distance Learning students and it was great to see a number of them there on the day, with one even organising her own work experience with one of the presenters.

The day went extremely well with extremely positive feedback from students:

“They were very informative and I enjoyed the vibe in the room while they were presenting.”

“He was passionate, had great knowledge and sold it as a fun way to work or experience.”

“He was very outgoing and easy to understand, he was funny and had good body language, which gave us a good impression.”

“She was really passionate about her job and shared her experiences with us.”

“They were lively, and made the audience participate in their presentation to help remember their information.”

”Made me think that anything is possible and there is so much you can put into travel and tourism.”

“Opened my eyes to many career paths.”

“Eco-tourism is a new product that has just come into the tourism industry and it really sparked my interest to start a career.”

ITC Ten Pin Bowling Day

Over 150 students from ITC descended on the Metrolanes bowling centre in Queen Street for a day of bowling, pool competitions and delicious food on 31 July.

Many of the students attended in fancy dress for the 90s-themed event, and the music and videos at the venue ranged from Spice Girls to MC Hammer. The tutors also dressed up, and Ginger Spice (Amy) and Sporty Spice (Tessa) did a great job of organising the day.

The students split into teams of six and took turns filling the bowling lanes for some friendly competition. When not bowling the students kept themselves entertained with free games of pool, 90s dancing and plenty of pizza, hot chips and drinks.

Four teams went head to head for the final rounds, with movie and bowling tickets up for grabs as the top prizes. The winning team was CAV03. Spot prizes also went to the students with the three highest bowling scores of the day, and to the most enthusiastic dancer.

The event was a great opportunity for the students to interact and get to know each other, strengthening existing friendships and meeting new people. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all students who took part. Thanks also to Metrolanes for providing a fun venue that provided plenty of entertainment throughout the day.

Are you ready to fly high?

Since 1996 the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) has been focused on providing training that gets students jobs in the airline, airport, travel and tourism industries.

With two Airport Training Centres at its City and Botany Campuses, ITC students get experience with the technology, the practical processes and the customer service skills they will need in their future careers.

The huge Airport Training Centres simulate real-world airports, including check in, customs, gate lounges, and planes where students are trained in all aspects of in-flight service. Training also incorporates the Ready to Check in online check in system, currently used by many airlines worldwide.

ITC is also committed to getting on-site experience for its students. This entails students helping out behind the scenes at industry events, and an increasing number of agreements with local industry employers, who are keen to give ITC students part-time work opportunities while they study.

“We’ve got great relationships with the industries we work with, and the practical nature of our courses means that our graduates are ready to work in their chosen fields,” says ITC’s Marketing Director Claire Huxley. “That translates into great job placement rates and a willingness from our industry partners to provide our students with work experience.”

“This whole experience has really shown me that what the tutors say to us at ITC is true – they push and encourage students to go for their dreams and never give up. My training at ITC has definitely helped me with my confidence and knowledge of the travel and tourism industry and thanks to them and my hard work it has all paid off, now I am in going to Dubai to embark on an exciting career as flight attendant for Emirates!” said graduate Lisi Kaihau.

Both ITC’s Botany and City Campuses have a few spaces on their last 2 courses in 2013, so it’s not too late to enrol now! Find out how you can launch your career in the airline, airport, and travel and tourism industries by phoning the ITC Team now 0800 868747 or (09) 373 5510 for more information, or check our website www.itc.co.nz