Flight Centre Travel Academy – Tourism Shapers Youth Advisory Workshop
This week, five students had the opportunity to take part in a Youth Advisory Workshop about studies and careers in Travel and Tourism, led by BOP Industries and Flight Centre Travel Academy (FCTA).
FCTA offers a Diploma of Travel and Tourism which focuses on job ready learning and allows students to work with experienced professionals in the industry. It supports students who wish to pursue a career in a variety of travel or tourism roles including hotel management, aviation, cabin crew hosting and travel agency work. It can be commenced in Year 12 and also serves as the first year of a Business Degree which provides students with a variety of early entry pathways.
During the workshop students were asked to reflect on metacognition (how they think and learn) and their preferred style of assessment. They were taught about the current Diploma and asked to undertake a SWOT Analysis of this, identifying Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and possible Threats. Students were asked to consider others’ perspectives and developed a Persona (a common entrepreneurial process). They then reflected upon their own academic resilience and how they persevere with learning when faced with challenges or a lack of motivation. Finally, the group took part in an Ideation task where they considered new ways of incorporating assessment in a creative, practical and real-world way.
When asked to contribute, our girls spoke about the importance of teacher support and the feedback they receive here at school as a crucial step in their academic and personal development. They spoke about their enjoyment of collaborating with others and how they focus on the achievement of their personal goals as a means to remain motivated. It was a pleasure to hear that what they learn here at Domremy is serving them well!
Through today’s experience, students contributed to shaping new ways of learning and assessment in the Travel and Tourism industry which was appreciated by FCTA and will be used by them to shape the future of their Diploma. They experienced a variety of reflective tools and entrepreneurial processes and were able to consider their own approach to learning; an experience that will serve them well in all future studies at school and beyond.
Some student reflections follow.
“On Wednesday, the 18th of June, we were given the opportunity, alongside 3 other students, to attend the FCTA workshop where we engaged in insightful tasks and became educated on travel and tourism and the opportunities offered within the Flight Centre Diploma. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allowed us to collaborate with the FCTA team to brainstorm possible strengths and weaknesses of the program, whilst presenting our ideas on how we may build on these factors to benefit the future of the Diploma for all students. We are grateful to have been a part of and experienced this event, as we grasp skills that we can apply in different aspects of our lives.” Mariam and Lara (Year 10)
“Our experience today was insightful and interactive. We learnt about various career pathways that are very flexible and cooperative with your needs and give you the benefits of the domain. We learnt valuable opportunities and collaborative activities that can assist us in future. We met new people which benefited our understanding by hearing their thoughts. One activity that stood out to us was creating a project for a student who’s currently studying which enabled our problem solving and critical thinking. This program was a very positive experience for us that we enjoyed and we hope to come across more events like this.” Liana, Victoria and Taylor (Year 9)
Ms Sarah Thompson, Leader of Innovative and Global Connections
