Government report: Why tourism needs people to transform

Posted on 12/07/2023 by Hayley Clark

It has taken a few years, but as predicted, travel and tourism is fast approaching the same high levels from before the pandemic.

As New Zealand has got back into the swing of things across the industry, have been seeking new, qualified staff such as graduates from ITC and Study From Home.

Recently, the New Zealand government released a statement discussing why tourism transformation starts with people. This explains how more than $18 million in funding will go towards improving the industry.

“New Zealand continues to be one of the world’s top tourism destinations, and with the borders open, international visitors are returning. We need to support our sector to rebuild a more resilient future that leaves people, communities and the environment better off than before,” Peeni Henare said.

This release covered four key areas that will help to transform the industry; employer accreditation, education, cultural competencies, and innovation and technology.

Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation

The large investment into the sector will help to implement a tourism and hospitality accreditation scheme.

This will be a voluntary scheme that helps to identify tourism operators and businesses that treat their staff really well. We can imagine this being a huge help for our graduates when it comes time to decide where to apply.

“Being able to demonstrate you are good employer will go a long way to helping a business attract quality staff and helping workers to find great employers,” Henare said.

Better education and career opportunities in tourism

The funding will also contribute to better education and training in the industry. This includes building on the existing NCEA Achievement Standards in tourism.

“Ensuring staff have a pathway to upskilling is also a focus and there will be closer collaboration between industry and education providers so the right skills are being taught to fill the jobs the sector needs. Education and training will look ahead to better prepare workers for the tourism jobs of the future.”

Cultural competency for more diverse and inclusive workplaces

Another part of the plan is to implement a pilot programme to develop cultural competency resources. The goal here is to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces “where cultural values are understood and respected.”

Cultural competency is such an important part of any job, but especially travel and tourism, and we’re excited to see this move.

Innovation and technology for more satisfying, skilled jobs

Finally, the release stated that funding would support an expo to showcase existing and emerging technologies that might assist businesses. Ideally, that would see workers have more free time to focus on providing excellent customer service and skilled work.

Additionally, there are plans for industry workshops that would encourage tourism businesses to learn about and adopt more innovative business models.

Travel and tourism: Always transforming!

Travel and tourism is always transforming and growing, which is just one reason why it’s such an exciting industry to work in. It’s also one that always relies on incredible people to fill roles and help make unforgettable travel experiences for visitors.

If you’ve always wondered about working in travel and tourism, you can earn the qualifications you need to get a foot in the door with Study From Home. We offer online learning, so you can go at your own pace in the comfort of your own home.

Get in touch today to learn more, or to enrol and get started!

Study From Work – ceri@itc.co.nz 021 623753

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Posted in News | Tagged Study travel & tourism, tourism education, Tourism transformation | Leave a reply

Meet your Study From Home team

Posted on 24/08/2021 by Mel Jenkins

When you earn your travel and tourism qualifications with Study From Home, you’ll spend your time in front of your laptop at home.

However, you’ll still enjoy the support and guidance of our Study From Home tutors, just like you would if you were studying in person. This close-knit team works hard to support our students as they move through their coursework, and will be there for advice, help, and motivation every step of the way.

Interested in learning more about your Study From Home tutors and team? Here’s a brief introduction!

Toni Young

Toni Young is the newest member of the Study From Home team, joining the crew in early 2021. Before that, she lived in Australia and the UK, and worked as a travel agent, a teacher, and for an airline and event management company.

No two days are the same for Toni. She might be working in Teams Assessment with a group of students, on a Zoom meeting with a student overseas, marking students’ work, or working on developing new course content. She sees her role as encouraging, motivating, facilitating, and counselling students.

“Their success is our success and we have lots of processes in place to help make this happen,” she explains.

Her favourite part of the job is seeing students achieve their qualifications and start their dream jobs in the industry, and her advice to students considering studying for a career in tourism and travel is to simply do it.

“There is no better time to be studying towards your travel and tourism qualifications. The industry needs qualified and motivated students and with this qualification you will be ideally placed to enter the exciting world of travel and tourism.”

When Toni isn’t helping and motivating students for Study From Home, she can often be found on the ski fields near her home town in Christchurch.

Joy Carter

Before becoming a Study From Home tutor, Joy spent almost 10 years teaching at the ITC Botany campus, so she has extensive experience with travel, tourism, and aviation courses. Prior to her work with ITC, she spent more than 10 years selling travel holidays.

Her days are always busy; doing roleplays with students, marking student coursework, responding to queries, and checking in on student progress. She helps to update and improve resources as well, but no matter how busy she is, “we are never too busy to have a chat with our students,” she says.

She knows that some students may need a hand with technical issues, and loves to help explain tricky terminology or clarify certain questions whenever students get stuck. But her favourite part of the job is getting to know the students, sharing their journeys, and celebrating their successes.

She says that for students considering studying online with SFH, the trick is to have plenty of support.

“Let family members and friends know that you are studying and the hours you have committed to. They probably don’t realise, and you may need them to help out if you encounter challenges along the way, such as a change of routine or sickness,” she said.

Joy’s no stranger to travel herself. She has been to many places over the years, but on one particularly memorable trip to Papua New Guinea, she and her husband and young daughter experienced a real culture shock. They were advised to lock themselves in at night, and on New Year’s Eve, the police came through their backyard chasing a “rascally”!

Lynelle Panton

Lynelle’s background is all about travel. She has worked in leisure travel, in hotels, for rental car companies, and even as a corporate travel consultant at American Express. That’s when she joined the ITC team as a campus tutor, before moving across to the Study From Home team where she is also a tutor.

As a part-timer, Lynelle juggles her work with SFH with her home life, where she’s full-on with three kids. She loves that she can spend time with her children after school and help with their activities, while still working in an industry she loves so much and knows so well.

When asked what she does to go the extra mile for her students, Lynelle explained that going the extra mile simply goes hand in hand with the travel and tourism industry, so it’s important to do that from the start. This can mean doing roleplays outside of normal hours, meeting students to help with assessments, and working with students one-on-one. She loves the work, and especially so when she sees the results and added confidence in the students.

“You can see them blossom after they have had that little bit of extra help,” she says.

For anyone considering signing up with Study From Home, she says that if it’s something you really want to do, then don’t let anything stop you. She recommends using the tutors who are there specifically to help – and they want to help.

Her favourite part of the job? Seeing students grow.

“A lot of students don’t realise how much they change from the start of the course to the end. It’s not just a knowledge thing – when you have learned something you gain confidence… and obviously I love to see them get their qualification and start working in the industry!”

And if you ever have a moment, be sure to ask Lynelle about her time working at a winery. She did the usual tasks such as wine tastings, but she would also occasionally jump in the ute with the dog in the back, then drive up and down the rows of vines banging the car door and getting the dog to bark like mad to scare away the birds.

Andrew Houston

Andrew began as a tutor for the Botany Campus five years ago, but he has since worked as the Tutorial Team Leader, and is now the Botany Campus Manager and Study From Home Manager. His work with Study From Home is backed by a long career in tourism and travel, where he worked in aviation security, and for Air New Zealand and Flight Centre.

His role is incredibly diverse. He supports the tutorial, recruitment, and student services teams for the Botany Campus, and the entire Study From Home Team. He even still teaches some diploma subjects and plays an important role in developing new course materials and resources.

Recently, he has been heavily involved with creating new interactive activities, video lessons, and enhanced subject guides for Study From Home students. Andrew, and the entire team, consistently work to make improvements for a better learning experience for everyone.

“I also empower the team to look for creative solutions to assist students who are facing personal challenges whilst studying,” he adds.

His favourite part of the job is seeing students start working in the world’s most exciting industry, and his advice for anyone considering study is to check out the Study From Home Free Trial, which gives you an idea of the style of learning you can expect as a student.

When he’s not busy with ITC and Study From Home work, Andrew is working on his fitness as he gets ready to run the Queenstown Marathon in November.

Ready to meet the team for real? Get in touch with us to hear more about our distance learning options, to enrol, and to meet your new Study From Home tutors!

Study From Home – college@itc.co.nz 0800 TOURISM (0800 868747) or https://www.studyfromhome.co.nz/contact-us/

 

 

Posted in News | Tagged Airline training, Aviation Training, Distance Learning, Flexible study, home office, ITC Award winning training, Meet the team, online learning, online support, Passion for travel, study from home, tourism education, travel | Leave a reply

Tourism spotlight: Northland New Zealand

Posted on 30/09/2015 by Jess O'Connor

The New Zealand tourism industry is thriving. Almost every news article that is published about the sector is brimming with positivity – tourism businesses across the country are enjoying high visitor rates and steady growth.

One thing that is especially great about this growing industry is that it impacts the whole country – not just Auckland and the main cities. People travel to the far corners of New Zealand, from the tip of the North Island to the bottom of the South and everywhere in between.

The tourism industry offers a wonderful opportunity for those living in regional New Zealand to become part of something special – to show both domestic and international travellers the wonders of our beautiful country.

We thought we’d celebrate our amazing tourism industry by putting the spotlight on different regions each month. As ITC’s distance learning branch, we are passionate about ensuring qualified, experienced tourism professionals are able to work in small towns and cities. And what better way to encourage people to go to these areas than by shining a light on what makes them great?

It makes sense to start at the top. Let’s take a look at what makes Northland Tourism in New Zealand so special.

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Posted in Tourism Spotlight | Tagged Northland New Zealand, regional tourism, tourism, tourism education, understanding New Zealand | Leave a reply