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…)

ITC’s Amazing Race 2014

ITC’s first student event of 2014 was The Amazing Race.

This is a fun-filled day where students from ITC’s City and Botany Campuses race around Auckland performing crazy in full costume, with their eye on the prize! ITC have been running this event for over 6 years now, with ITC making sure that the students test their tourism knowledge of Auckland.

Challenges and quizzes meant that all the teams really had to try very hard. From belting out ballads at Vector Arena to team members spelling out ITC with their bodies in Aotea Square, it was a day not to be missed!

As always we had great support from our industry contacts, both during the race and  with some amazing donated prizes, including Explore NZ Americas Cup Sailing Experience, Stray Jack Passes to the Bay of Islands, Auckland Adventure Jet Rides, accommodation at Nomads Backpackers and free pizza and drinks at Globe Bar.

First and second place went to our City Campus teams with a FANTASTIC time of 1hr 30mins and 1hr 35mins respectively, and third place went to a Botany Campus team with a time of 1hr 45mins. There were also prizes for the best-dressed teams and sportsmanship on the day.

With the sun out and a beautiful end point at the Auckland Domain, the day provided a wonderful chance to get out and about with our ITC family.

Thanks to everyone who particpated!

ITC Announces Flight Attending Workshops

ITC’s one-day Flight Attending Recruitment Workshop will get you ready for an amazing career as a flight attendant.

Students who have taken part in this workshop have found it extremely beneficial and great value for money. “I learnt so much on this course, it really has made me re-asses when and how I apply to the airlines to be a flight attendant” said Matthew. “You don’t realise how much you need to know and be prepared for”.

All the content has been carefully compiled and prepared by several of the ITC tutorial team, of whom 9 have all worked for airlines as cabin crew or on their recruitment teams.

For only $99 you get:
• A full-day of training;
• Hands-on experience in our state-of-the-art Aviation Training Centre;
• Advice from a guest speaking flight attendant;
• A student notebook of work and information from the day; and
• A certificate of completion.
PLUS: The $99 is redeemable on one any one of ITC’s six-month courses!

You will leave this workshop with a better understanding of what the airlines are looking for and a career development plan for your dream job. This is your chance to be be fully prepared for any recruitment process and understand what the airlines are really looking for.

You can book on the course online click on this link http://itconlinetraining.com/course/flight-attending-recruitment-workshop/ or call us 0800 868747

With rolling intakes throughout the year we can’t wait to get you trained so you can get out there and live the dream.

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.”

Top 10 Tips for ITC students

ITC Scholarship Winners Announced!

ITC has chosen its scholarship recipients for 2014. Applicants created a video or a blog showing us their passion and enthusiasm for travel, their commitment to learning, and why they felt they should receive a scholarship award.

We received a very high calibre of applicants and after many discussions we chose four recipients. On successful completion of their qualification the recipients will receive a cheque to the allotted values of their scholarship.

Charlotte Roberts-Swain, Macleans College, Auckland.
$5,000 scholarship, ITC Botany Campus

We first met Charlotte with her mother at the Macleans College careers evening. She immediately came across as a bubbly and enthusiastic person. Charlotte’s mother works in the travel industry and has passed on her enthusiasm and passion for the industry to her daughter.

Charlotte’s blog was very well thought out and identified clearly why she felt she should receive the scholarship. She demonstrated how her experience in her travel class with teacher Julie McDougall had broadened her understanding of the career opportunities available to her in travel and tourism. She also showed an understanding of the important part the industry plays, not just New Zealand’s economy but worldwide.

Her aspirations for her future in the industry are very exciting and we believe she will go on to be an asset to any employer when she graduates.

Her response to being informed of the scholarship award was complete joy, and her first words were “I cannot wait to tell my Mum!”

Lape Talopau from Kelston Girls, Auckland
$5,000 scholarship, ITC City Campus

Lape’s video was just full of energy and showed her as an enthusiastic and positive person with a fantastic smile. She proved she had a great understanding of the need for our scholarship recipients to be hard working, committed and passionate about working in the travel and tourism industry.

Lape highlighted that she understood the importance of working and conversing with people from very diverse cultures. She obviously has the personality and people skills to make a big career for herself in travel and tourism and we look forward to watching her grow through her studies with us. Lape’s screams of joy when we informed her of her award are still making our ears ring today!

Kimi-Ora Follas, Otamatea College Northland
$1,000 scholarship, ITC Botany Campus

Kimi-Ora’s teacher, Marco Troost, contacted us to ask for some tips for her application, and to endorse her as a great student who is very passionate about wishing to forge a career for herself in travel and tourism.

Marco’s judgement of Kimi-Ora’s suitability for the industry proved to be correct. Kimi-Ora first heard of ITC through one of Ceri Jenkins’ presentations at her school when she was in year 12. It convinced her that she should follow her passion for the industry and endeavour to gain the necessary education to enter travel and tourism.

She had obviously done her homework on ITC via the internet and also made the long journey to Auckland with her family to attend one of our open days. Kimi-Ora’s confidence and determination stood out in her video and will we are sure hold her in very good stead throughout her studies and future employment.

Sonia Murray, Sancta Maria, Auckland
$1,000 scholarship, ITC City Campus.

Sonia had attend one of our short courses and made a lasting impression on our tutor Mel. Her enthusiasm and ability to work well with others really stood out.

Sonia’s previous class visits to ITC and attendance on the short courses convinced her that tourism was for her and highlighted that she has a special interest in adventure tourism.

Her blog was very articulate and outlined all of the key aspects we were looking for in scholarship recipients, in particular her undoubted passion for the travel and tourism and the sense that there is a very big and successful career just waiting out there for her.

We wish all of our scholarship recipients and applicants the best for 2014 and beyond.

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!

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.