Queenstown Resort College Opens Its Doors

Media Release from Queenstown Resort College                                 

April 29 2009

Queenstown Resort College (QRC) has opened its doors to future hospitality and tourism leaders with a full intake of new students.

The new students, six of whom are from Australia, two from India and China, and the remainder from all over New Zealand, completed their orientation week last week before launching into their studies.

The students will spend two years studying for a Diploma of Adventure Tourism Management or a Diploma of Hospitality. They have come from as far afield as Whangarei, Auckland, Taranaki, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch.

The six Australian students, a new and growing market for the college, are all studying Adventure Tourism.

“They all have very interesting backgrounds, and four have been in the industry for the past few years,” said QRC Domestic Marketing and Recruitment Manager Sarah Cairns.

”They’re the perfect target markets we’re aiming at, either school leavers or approaching their early 20’s with life skills and work history, but looking to take the next step towards becoming future tourism managers with real business management and leadership skills.”

Two of the new intake are winners of QRC’s annual 2009 national ambassador scholarships.

Emma Hanson from Wellington and Hareta Stanbridge from Hicks Bay on the North Island’s East Cape fought off stiff competition from dozens of other students from around the country to win the scholarships, which cover their tuition fees for the two year courses.

QRC awards the ambassador scholarships annually to the two students who display the strongest leadership skills, a passion for their chosen industry and for their ability to act as role models both on campus and within the industry.

Hareta, 17, will be studying hospitality after working extremely hard to get to Queenstown, said Ms Cairns.

“She’s incredibly academic, having won a major end of year award from her school Iona College in Havelock North for outstanding effort and perseverance during her time there.  It’s given to the student who gives their utmost effort at all times.

”She’s also sporty, culturally involved with a number of volunteer activities and involved with her local marae,” she said.

“Her goal is to complete her final year at César Ritz, in Switzerland, a renowned international institute for hospitality management with which QRC has strong links.”

Emma, 18, will study adventure tourism after leaving Hutt Valley High School with glowing references. At school she organised school triathlons and student social events, and helped initiate team building sessions for junior students. She plays a range of sports and one day hopes to become an operations manager for an adventure tourism management company.

The Adventure Tourism Management two-year diploma is the only one of its kind in New Zealand.  It develops successful future adventure tourism managers by blending business management and leadership skills with practical work experience and adventure education. As part of their diploma every student receives six months of fully paid industry training with an adventure tourism business. Graduates can continue on to a Bachelor Degree at Thompson Rivers University in Canada.

Hospitality students also spend six to nine months working fully paid within the industry in Queenstown. QRC delivers the Diploma of Hospitality Management in partnership with the International College of Management in Sydney (ICMS) and César Ritz Colleges, Switzerland. This international hotel management qualification opens the doors to higher study and exciting careers throughout the world.

Queenstown Resort College CEO Charlie Phillips said the college was delighted with the number and calibre of students in its latest intake.

“These are optimum class numbers and they’re here to learn from the industry’s best in an environment that provides hands-on learning in Queenstown, a town renowned for its wealth of tourism and hospitality infrastructure.

“I’m confident that in two years’ time they’ll emerge as fully-fledged professionals who’ll hit the ground running.”

ends

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