College Celebrates Biggest Ever Intake

College Celebrates Biggest Ever Intake

Leading education institution Queenstown Resort College is celebrating its biggest ever intake with 68 new students on the roll.

The new students, including New Zealand Winter Olympic stars Mitchey Greig and Sarah Murphy, started at the college last week, some studying Adventure Tourism Management and others Hospitality Management.

The young Olympians – both of whom competed at the Vancouver Olympics where Sarah was the New Zealand team flag bearer - are studying Adventure Tourism Management.

Free skier Greig, 21, who was born in Invercargill but now calls Queenstown home, said the course enabled her to continue training at Coronet Peak while providing her with an education and learning the skills to achieve her goals.

“Ultimately I want to start my own tourism business and attending QRC means I can work towards that while also training to compete in the Sochi 2014 Olympics in Russia,” she said.

Murphy, 22, who is half Canadian and half Kiwi, competes in biathlon which combines cross country skiing with shooting. She has a ten-year plan that includes the 2014 Olympics and ultimately running her own tourism business.

“As a full-time athlete, in the past I haven't had much time to study, however the programme at QRC allows me to combine my on-going training with studies. Queenstown is awesome and QRC is a great place to study for me,” she said.

Queenstown Resort College CEO Charlie Phillips said the award-winning college continued to grow its roll and attract students from around New Zealand, Australia and further afield for the two-year courses.

“Tourism is the fastest growing industry in the world and for athletes like Mitchey and Sarah, who are looking to their future after their competition days are over, this gives them the opportunity to capitalise on their achievements,” he said.

To cater for the needs of students like Mitchey and Sarah, QRC has developed another leading initiative with New Zealand’s only Diploma of Adventure Tourism Management specialising in Snowsports Business Management in partnership with NZSki Ltd. It’s aimed at producing graduates who are not only passionate about the snowsports industry but who have strong business management skills.

The Adventure Tourism Management diploma is the only one of its kind in New Zealand. It develops successful future managers by blending business management and leadership skills with practical work experience and adventure education. As part of their diploma, students gain six months of fully paid industry work experience with an adventure tourism business. Graduates can continue on to a Bachelor of International Tourism at the International College of Management (ICMS) in Sydney, Australia, or at Thompson Rivers University in Canada.

Hospitality students also spend six to nine months working fully paid within the industry in Queenstown or around New Zealand. QRC delivers the Diploma of Hospitality Management in partnership with ICMS and César Ritz Colleges, Switzerland, and by completing a further year and a term of study with ICMS or César Ritz, students can gain an internationally recognised business degree.

For more information about QRC diplomas please visit www.queenstownresortcollege.com.

Queenstown Resort College new students Mitchey Greig (L) and Sarah Murphy

The largest intake to date at Queenstown Resort College

ENDS

© Scoop Media