Queenstown Tourism Apprentice Wins National Training Award

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He’s only 24, but Skyline Queenstown’s mountain biking coordinator Brad Rowe plans to become a leader in New Zealand’s tourism industry. According to the judges at Friday night’s ATTTO A+ Awards in Wellington, he has the potential to achieve his dreams.

Brad was named the Tourism Industry Association (TIA) Tourism Trainee of the Year at the inaugural industry training awards for the tourism, travel, aviation and museum sectors on 11 November 2011. He also received ATTTO’s Modern Apprentice of the Year Award.

Tourism Industry Association (TIA) Chief Executive Tim Cossar presented Brad with the Tourism Trainee of the Year Award, saying he had proven himself to be a committed tourism professional that had studied hard and applied his learning from a young age.

“He has a ‘go for it’ attitude, a passion for tourism and has shown strong leadership skills in setting up and managing this new department for Skyline. With mountain biking he is in the right place at the right time in a growing niche market. I am sure he will achieve great things and go on to hold senior positions in the sector.”

ATTTO Chief Executive (Acting) Kathy Wolfe said Brad was an example of the kind of innovative, hard-working and capable young people the tourism industry needed coming up through its ranks.

“The A+ Awards are a chance to recognise the individual achievements of industry trainees. They are also a celebration of the valuable economic role vocational education and training has to play in the success of industries and businesses,” said Kathy Wolfe.

“It takes dedication to study towards and complete a qualification while working full time. Well done to Brad and all of our other A+ Award winners and finalists.”

Other A+ Award winners included an apprentice travel agent from Auckland, a museum host from Canterbury and an aeronautical engineer from Air New Zealand.

Brad was among around 140 New Zealand tourism industry employees who completed national qualifications through ATTTO between 1 July 2010 and 31 June 2011.

He received a $500 training scholarship from ATTTO and a one-day pass to TRENZ 2012 from TIA. He said he would put his scholarship towards developing his leadership skills, so that he could further help build Queenstown’s reputation as an international mountain biking destination.

The awards were coordinated by ATTTO (the industry training organisation for the aviation, travel, tourism and museums sectors), with support from TIA, the Aviation Industry Association (AIA), Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) and Museums Aotearoa. Chief Executives from each of these industry associations selected the winner of each sector award from a pool of finalists. Winners were chosen based on nomination submissions and responses to interviews with both nominees and their employers.

The Supreme Award Winner received a $2,000 professional development scholarship from ATTTO.

2011 ATTTO A+ Award Winners
Click the links below to read more about the ATTTO A+ Award winners:

See... TAANZ Travel Trainee of the Year / Supreme Winner
Samantha Chambers, Travel Planner, United Travel Mairangi Bay
National Certificates in Travel, Level 3 and Level 4; Modern Apprenticeship in Tourism and Travel

See... TIA Tourism Trainee of the Year / ATTTO Modern Apprentice of the Year
Brad Rowe, Mountain Biking Coordinator, Skyline Queenstown
Modern Apprenticeship in Tourism

See... Museums Aotearoa Museum Trainee of the Year
Virginia Malcolmson, Visitor Host, Canterbury Museum
National Certificate in Museum Practice, Level 4

See... Aviation Industry Association Aviation Trainee of the Year
Cameron Greene, Aeronautical Engineer, Air New Zealand
National Certificate in Aeronautical Engineering, Level 3

See... ATTTO Making a Difference Award
Matthew Harper, Training Officer, Auckland International Airport
National Certificate in First Line Management, Level 4

ENDS

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