FUTURE PATHWAYS

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to go to Queenstown and visit QRC to see what it's all about. I first learned of it in Year 12 and then again in Year 13 when one of their tutors spoke about the college and what they do there. I decided I really wanted more information about what they have to offer. 

QRC is a resort college in Queenstown that offers a one year course and a nine month paid internship. It offers two different courses that are similar in nature but focused on different career paths. There is ‘ATM’ which stands for Adventure Tourism Management and ‘HM’ which is Hospitality Management. 

Adventure tourism is more about tour guides and tourist attraction roles, and tends to be much more outdoorsy. Hospitality Management is about the service industry, for example making and preparing food and beverage, and waitering.  

Every year they offer “Experience QRC” 'which is a two night, three day stay in Queenstown, where you learn about the school, meet current students and teachers, tour student accommodation and see a little of what Queenstown has to offer! 

On day one we all met at the school, on the fifth floor for lunch and did a few activities to get to know each other. There were 45 of us from all around New Zealand.  After getting acquainted we got a run down of our day and got started. 

We began with a short tour of the campus from some current QRC students and got an overview of the two courses they offer. Once that was done we went jet boating and saw the beautiful scenery of the lake and the mountains as we went.  After that we returned for some food and got an opportunity to explore Queenstown a bit in our allocated groups, completing challenges and taking photos of landmarks. 

Towards the end of the day they held a surprise activity which turned out to be Fear Factory. This was really exciting for me as I have always wanted to  experience it. There was a QRC graduate that we met who had her internship there and was now employed there. Once we had all gone through we checked into our accommodation for the night. 

On day two we received more information about student life and the internships. One student came to talk to us about his internship at a helicopter company in Queenstown, where he met lots of billionaires and famous people, and even had to sign a non-disclosure agreement! He was also able to see a glacier that only 15 helicopters can land on per year. We next got in a bus to Arrowtown and had a tour of a luxury resort called Millbrook. We explored Arrowtown then came back to Queenstown, and went up on the gondolas to Skyline where we had a go on the luge. After that we were given a tour of the student lodge and had an amazing dinner prepared by some of the hospitality students.

On the final day we mainly had one on one talks about our future and and whether we plan on coming to QRC. We also had a short cocktail masterclass and got to make and drink a mocktail, called the At 11am, then everyone prepared for their departure back home. 

I really enjoyed getting to meet new people and experience QRC and it really helped me make an informed decision about what I plan do do with my future. 

To anyone interested in pursuing a career in this field I highly recommend experiencing QRC.