Adventure Tourism Relocation Scholarships

7 November 2013

NMIT Media Release – for immediate release

Adventure Tourism Relocation Scholarships

Getting paid to move to Nelson to study adventure tourism might sound too good to be true, but it’s the real deal being offered to residents of Wellington, Southland, Otago, Canterbury and the West Coast by Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT), which is offering relocation scholarships of $1,000 to successful applicants.

NMIT has been offering adventure tourism education since 1995 and it’s not hard to see why the Nelson-Tasman region has become a destination of choice for those looking to train for a career in this industry. The region is blessed with high sunshine hours and surrounded by three national parks - from the turquoise waters and golden sands of the Abel Tasman to the rugged mountain terrain and white water playground of the Kahurangi or the snow-capped peaks and bush-lined lakes of Nelson Lakes. These diverse and stunning natural environments and others like them become the classroom in NMIT’s highly practical, industry-focussed adventure tourism programmes. Another bonus is the fact that tourism is one of the largest industries in Nelson-Tasman – worth $349 million annually and employing 2,190 full-time equivalent staff.

NMIT Adventure Tourism Tutor Todd Jago says most graduates find work locally but also get work throughout the country or overseas. “The programme has a good reputation within the industry and operators know we produce high-calibre students trained to the latest safety and best practice standards,” he says. Industry work placements are a key part of the adventure tourism programmes with students spending lots of time on industry practice - working with a variety of adventure tourism operators around New Zealand . “This gives employers a chance to assess students’ potential as future employees. Our second year programme also finishes earlier than many others which gives our graduates a head-start in finding employment,” says Todd Jago.

Of the 13 Diploma in Adventure Tourism graduates in 2013, all have gone straight into employment in the Adventure Tourism industry. Jobs include sea kayak guiding in the Abel Tasman, raft and river guiding around New Zealand, ski instructing in Canada, snow grooming in Sweden and ski patrol in Norway.

NMIT offers a one year certificate and a two year Diploma in Adventure Tourism. The programmes prepare students to work in the adventure tourism industry and students can elect to undertake industry qualifications in the areas that interest them most including sea kayaking, whitewater rafting, snowboarding or ski instructing, hiking/tramping, whitewater kayaking and rock climbing.

NMIT’s next intake for Adventure Tourism is February 2014 and $1,000 fees discount relocation scholarships are available for successful applicants from selected regions who meet the programme entry criteria. For further information, visit www.nmit.ac.nz and search ‘adventure tourism’.

ENDS

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