Apprentice Travel Agent Takes Top Training Award

14 November 2011

Apprentice Travel Agent Takes Top Training Award

For 20-year-old Samantha Chambers, a Modern Apprenticeship in Travel and Tourism helped her get started in the industry she's passionate about - now it has seen her named the first ever Supreme Winner of ATTTO's A+ Trainee and Modern Apprentice Awards.

The awards were announced in Wellington on Friday evening (11 November). They recognised top industry trainees and Modern Apprentices from the aviation, tourism, travel and museums sectors.

ATTTO Chairman Rick Bettle presented the Supreme Award to Samantha, who works as a travel planner at United Travel's Mairangi Bay store, on Auckland's North Shore. She also received the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) Travel Trainee of the Year Award.

"Samantha joined United Travel as a school leaver. By training on the job and working as a junior travel planner while she completed her qualifications, she has developed into a mature, hard-working and talented travel specialist who is an asset to her employers. Samantha's story is a perfect example of the benefits of industry training in the workplace," said Rick.

ATTTO Chief Executive (Acting) Kathy Wolfe said the finalists and winners of the 2011 A+ Awards showcased the diversity of people involved in industry training and the contributions they make to their workplaces. Other winners included a mountain biking coordinator from Queenstown, a museum host from Canterbury and an aeronautical engineer from Auckland.

"These 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 Samantha and all of our other A+ Award winners and finalists."

As the Supreme Winner of the ATTTO A+ Awards, Samantha received a $2,000 professional development scholarship to be used towards training of her choice. She also received two $500 training scholarships: one donated by TAANZ and the other by ATTTO Board Member and owner of Global Travel Management Ltd, James Langton.

The awards were coordinated by ATTTO (the industry training organisation for the aviation, travel, tourism and museums sectors), with support from the Aviation Industry Association (AIA), Tourism Industry Association (TIA), 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.

2011 ATTTO A+ Award Winners

Click the links below to read more about each of the 2011 winners:

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

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

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

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

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

About ATTTO

• ATTTO is the industry training organisation for New Zealand's aviation, tourism, travel and museums industries. Its role is to provide industry leadership on skill and training needs, set skills standards, and design and deliver world-class qualifications that meet industry needs.

• ATTTO industry qualifications are designed to be completed on-the-job by people employed in our industries. Many can also be completed through training providers.

• All ATTTO qualifications are nationally recognised and registered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.

• At 31 October 2011, there were more than 2,800 New Zealanders from 230 workplaces training towards national qualifications with ATTTO.

www.attto.org.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media