TRAVEL CAREERS AND TRAINING – FIRST CLASS, FIRST PLACE Travel Careers & Training continue as the market leaders in the provision of travel and tourism training - proven by historical award winning success and the recent addition of landing the 2008 Tourism Industry Award for ‘Tourism Service Provider’. In 2000 and 2001 Travel Careers and Training won consecutive New Zealand Tourism awards and 2003 was no different, winning not only the sub-category (Tourism Business Services), but also won the Major Category Award (Tourism Services). They were also honoured with the ‘Distinction Award’ for having three wins over a five year period. This meant that they now had to stand down for a period of three years and Nicole Domett (Chief Executive) became a tourism award assessor and judge. Travel Careers & Training was started by Nicole Domett, in 1985 responding to a marketplace need for a company that specialised in training and recruitment for the travel and tourism industry. Twenty three years later Travel Careers & Training now operates in two locations, Auckland and Wellington, has an Aircrew Training Centre which houses their 737 aircraft next to Auckland International Airport, and owns Sir George Seymour National College of Airline, Travel & Tourism which has five locations (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin). They offer recognised NZQA courses to people wanting to gain a travel, tourism or flight attendant qualification. Right from the beginning, Travel Careers & Training's key business objective has been to provide innovative, leading-edge training with a real practical slant. Students are keenly sought after by employers who see a Travel Careers & Training graduate as someone who will have the skills, knowledge, and attitude to be a travel and tourism professional from the moment they complete the course. ‘As well as ensuring we train our prospective graduates to gain their qualification, we also have a strong focus on assisting them to be ‘work ready’ for the Travel and Tourism Industry. The qualification is fantastic, but the qualification AND the right attitude to work and high level of personal attributes is what the industry is asking us for and looking for in future employees says Nicole Domett. Students actually get to try the industry for themselves with work experience, and industry visits as well as domestic and international field trips. Continuous innovation saw another New Zealand first in June 2001 - with TCT launching a specific International Flight Attendant qualification - a first for Australasia. This course was further enhanced in 2006 by the purchase of a Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline Westjet Canada. The full cabin trainer gives the students the ‘hands on skills’ such as opening and closing doors and overwing exits and an opportunity to practice on a full length aircraft. This facility is also used by Pacific Blue and other airlines for the training of their flight attendants. Nicole Domett and her team accepted the award for the company at the Awards Ceremony held in Christchurch on 05 August 2008. ‘It is an honour to be awarded with this accolade. Our company has been working extremely hard over the last five years to build on the success we have already shown in previous years. This is a wonderful reward for the efforts that have been put in by all staff and means that we can now show the industry further that we are a leading provider in aviation, travel and tourism training’. For further information, please contact Nicole Domett (Chief Executive) on 07 853 0259