Meet the student with her eye on the Disney Cultural Exchange Program!

Mya gets into the spirit of Disney at ITC.

ITC students come from all over New Zealand, and have all sorts of dreams.

Mya Jorna came to us from Bream Bay College, where she did an Adventure Short Course. After that, she enrolled at our Whangarei Campus for the Level 3 and 4 Certificates in Tourism. Now, she’s eyeing up the Disney Cultural Exchange Program and all the amazing adventures and opportunities that come with it.

Here’s our quick interview to learn more about Mya’s journey so far!

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Meet one of our successful Disney Exchange applicants: Bea Terreblanche

Bea enjoying her time on an ITC trip at the Hamilton Gardens.

For the last few months, we’ve been interviewing graduates who went through the Disney Exchange Program as part of our ‘Adventures After Disney’ series.

Now, we’re excited to introduce a one of the successful applicants for the 2023 Disney Exchange Program: Bea Terreblanche.

Bea will soon be jet-setting off to the United States to work in a variety of roles for Disney. She will gain a huge amount of experience in different parts of travel and tourism, and no doubt meet many other incredible young people from around the world who are embarking in this experience with her.

Before she heads away, we caught up with Bea to ask her a few rapid-fire questions about her upcoming trip.

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Meet the graduate putting a spotlight on tourism’s need for more accessible travel

Paralympian Michael Johnson spoke with ITC graduate Sinead McDonnell about tourism’s need for more accessible travel.

The final subject of the New Zealand Diploma in Tourism and Travel at Level 5 is tourism & hospitality research and analysis. As part of this subject, students must choose a topic to research – ideally one they have a special interest in.

For Sinead McDonnell, the choice was simple. Her own family history inspired her to take a closer look into the accessibility of the New Zealand hotel industry, and found real gaps in what’s currently available – and what could encourage more lesser abled tourists to explore New Zealand.

Read on to find out more about Sinead’s inspiration, project, thoughts, and future goals!  (more…)

Meet Kahurangi Bray: The ITC student working at one of New Zealand’s best (and most important) attractions

Kahurangi Bray has started working at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds as she finishes her studies with ITC.

Kahurangi Bray has been studying level 4 with ITC, but this summer, she had the opportunity to work at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

She hadn’t quite finished her level 4 studies, so she took ITC’s flexible study option and has moved to our online platform, Study From Home, to allow her to finish the course.

This meant that she got to kick off her career in tourism and travel as soon as the opportunity arose, while also completing her qualifications. Everyone at ITC is incredibly proud of Kahu, and excited to see her take this first step.

So of course, we got in touch for an interview! (more…)

Meet Keeanu Cookson: From ITC short course, to full-time student, to full-time employment!

Keeanu Cookson went from short course student, to full-time ITC student, to landing a role in the industry!

One of the many pathways ITC offers into the travel and tourism industry is through our short courses in high schools all over the country.

These short courses span just one to three days, but they can be the start of a lifetime in the industry.

That’s exactly what happened to Keeanu Cookson, who began with a short course, enrolled to become a full-time student, and quickly landed a full-time job! We spoke to Keeanu, his tutor Daniel, and his boss to learn more about his journey. (more…)

Meet Acacia Barnes: A graduate who enrolled at ITC after more than a decade in another industry

Student Acacia Barnes is studying with ITC after first spending a decade in an entirely different industry!

In March 2020, Acacia Barnes was like many students around New Zealand. She was finishing up her studies at ITC and looking forward to an exciting career ahead – but the pandemic threw a spanner in those works.  

Thanks to ITC’s flexibility, all ITC students were able to quickly switch to our online platform, which is how Acacia completed her level 4 studies with us shortly after in June.

From going back to school after more than a decade in another industry, to studying during lockdowns, to now continuing her studies at level 5, Acacia has quite the inspiring story to tell. We caught up with her recently to chat about her time at ITC, goals and hopes for the future, and advice for anyone thinking of studying at ITC. (more…)

Meet Camille Gale: The graduate whose career improved thanks to covid-19!

Camille Gale’s career actually improved thanks to covid-19!

The coronavirus has been a major upheaval for us all, especially for many in the tourism industry.

However, we recently spoke to one student who has found the silver lining amidst the changes of the past year, and who has actually found that her career has benefitted from the pandemic.

Here’s our chat with Camille Gale, including her thoughts on what’s next for New Zealand tourism, and her advice for future students! (more…)

Meet Kyle Horsefield: From an unhappy job to graduating from ITC and a bright future ahead

Kyle Horsefield went from being unhappy at his work to looking forward to a bright future with help from ITC.

Kyle Horsefield was one of our students at the Botany Campus last year. Like many students, covid-19 arrived and threatened to interfere with his studies and qualifications.

However, thanks to Kyle’s strong work ethic and our wonderful tutors and flexible learning opportunities, Kyle finished the year and is now looking forward to a bright future, even including further tertiary study.

We caught up with Kyle recently to hear more about how he began his time at ITC, how he found his time with us, and what his plans are next. (more…)