ITC students make a splash volunteering at the Brand USA Agent Expo

ITC students at the Brand USA expo.

The Brand USA Agent Expo was hosted in Auckland on the 10th of February this year, and it was a huge success with several hundred travel agents and over 40 exhibitors from the USA for the event.

This is a chance for US partners to reach key trade contacts in the New Zealand travel industry, and it takes a huge amount of work to pull together.

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ITC connecting graduates to the exciting cruise ship industry

ITC Students working with the cruise industry

This summer season in New Zealand has been the most exciting for the travel and tourism industry in the country in years. For a group of ITC students and graduates, it has been an extra special time thanks to ITC and the cruise ship industry.

That’s because we recently set up a number of students with a fantastic opportunity to gain work experience in the industry.

Read on to learn more about how it happened (and how you could get valuable work experience when you study with ITC, too).

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Whangarei students employed directly after work experience

After completing work experience during their studies, several students were offered jobs – including one with AJ Hackett in Queenstown!

At ITC, one of the many ways we prepare students for a career in travel and tourism is with work experience.

Students can learn a lot in a classroom, especially with our tutors who are industry experts themselves. They can also learn a lot with during famils, where they get to experience travel and tourism first-hand.

But actually trying out a job and seeing what it’s really like is unique, which is why we work closely with students to organise work experience before they graduate and start applying for jobs.

And recently, we’ve found that their work experience is leading directly into employment!

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The Disney Cultural Exchange is relaunching!

The Disney Cultural Exchange is relaunching, and we couldn’t be more excited.

The Disney Cultural Exchange has long been one of the most exciting options for ITC graduates, and we have missed it greatly while it has been unavailable during the pandemic.

But now, we couldn’t be more excited to learn that the Disney Cultural Exchange is relaunching!

This is a very limited relaunch for now, so it is only available through partner providers such as ITC. Here’s a little more about what it all entails. (more…)

Work experience leads to tourism jobs for many ITC students

ITC arranges work experience opportunities for students at tourism businesses such as SkyJump (pictured).

When an ITC student goes on work experience, they could be meeting their future employer for the first time.

Many students who participate in work experience end up working for that employer later down the track – sometimes as soon as one week later.

For example, Brookglenn Olsen recently started a job at InterCity after doing work experience there in late November. She got a call one week after her work experience offering her a job. She’s now working part-time in the afternoons and will go full-time in January once she’s finished her qualification.

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Five ways ITC teaches cultural awareness

A performance during Global Wednesday, a student event that teaches about cultural awareness.

To thrive in the tourism industry, it’s essential to cultivate a deep and genuine appreciation of different cultures. Cultural awareness is one of the best skills a tourism professional can possess — which is why ITC teaches it in several ways.

One ITC graduate — Madison Ryan — is now working in customer service for Explore. When asked to name a skill she learned at ITC that she uses every day in her career, she said cultural awareness. So did Gerrit Faalogo (who is in Aviation Security Service), Mikaela Rivers (who is working for a hotel), and Jasmine Tua (who is working for Menzies Aviation), as well as many more ITC graduates.

Jasmine Tua says studying at ITC helped her “gain confidence when speaking to new people travelling from the other side of the world”.

So how does ITC foster a sense of cultural awareness in its students? Here are five innovative ways ITC teaches cultural awareness to tourism students.

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ITC students visit tourism businesses in Christchurch

ITC’s Chch students recently visited two hotels and a Flight Centre to learn more about working in the local tourism industry.

Students from ITC’s Christchurch Campus recently visited local tourism businesses to see firsthand what it’s like to work in the industry.

They visited Flight Centre, Breakfree Hotel and Crowne Plaza in one epic, eye-opening day.

ITC Level 3 student Ja Kharkrang was really impressed with how much she learned on the site visits.

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Practice makes perfect: ITC graduate aces job interview

ITC graduate Tuita Tokareta wowed the General Manager of 360 Discovery Cruises when she went for a job interview. It goes without saying that she was offered the position!

“Would you like to come in for an interview?” This is the question every job hunter wants to hear. So why does it make so many people break out in a nervous sweat?

Going for a job interview doesn’t have to be terrifying. At the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC), students are given plenty of CV and job preparation support, helping to ensure they are ready to impress when they walk into the interview room.

And impress is definitely what ITC graduate Tuita Tokareta did when she went for an interview with 360 Discovery Cruises.

“She was the best prepared person I have interviewed in a long time,” said 360 Discovery General Manager James Bailey.

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ITC short course leads to work experience for students

Explore New Zealand recently offered a group of ITC short course students the opportunity to do some work experience

When secondary school students attend a short course at the International Travel College (ITC), they walk away with more than credits.

In many cases, students leave with a work experience opportunity, or even a job offer!

On a recent Tourism Short Course, ITC arranged for the students to participate on several industry visits, including sessions at the Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safari, Auckland Adventure Jet and Explore New Zealand.

This approach connects students directly with the industry, allowing them to see for themselves what it is like to work in tourism.

It also provides students with the opportunity to make a good first impression with some of Auckland’s top tourism employers. (more…)

ITC customer service superstars help at International Student Welcome

Students from the International Travel College working at the International Student Welcome Event held at the Cloud yesterday (Thursday 12 March)

On Thursday 12 March hundreds of international students were welcomed to Auckland at a special event held at The Cloud.

Organised by ATEED, the International Student Welcome is hosted annually and an excellent way to introduce new students to Auckland. (more…)