Gap students choose to stay put in Yulara
Living hard and working hard at Yulara are (from left) Alyce Rainbird, Tara Smith and Amelia Williams
By Jason McIntosh
A gap year program giving five Centralian Year 12 school leavers a taste of the hospitality industry has convinced them to extend their stay at Ayers Rock Resort.
The “Rock Hoppers” program gave the Alice Springs students an opportunity to rotate through Voyages Resorts’ five Yulara properties while completing vocational qualifications.
After 12 months, all students have chosen to stay on at Voyagers and intend to complete a Certificate IV qualification.
The program was created by Group Training Northern Territory (GTNT), Voyages and CDU to give the students a solid introduction to hospitality.
CDU lecturer Nick De Silva has spent extensive time teaching at Yulara and said the program helped the students understand the challenges and opportunities of delivering service in a resort based operation.
"Working with mostly international guests across Voyages’ different properties is a wonderful introduction to the industry and they are clearly enjoying it," he said.
Area HR manager for Ayers Rock Resort Mike Chep said quality training was integral to the resort and the support of GTNT for the students was crucial for the program.
GTNT Alice Springs Regional Manager Antony Yoffa said “Rock Hoppers” responded to the needs of young people who wanted to understand the varying demands and expectations of different properties.
"It's been a great eye opener for them to see the different clientele at Voyages’ properties and to understand why they offer different products in the marketplace and nothing beats on-the-job training," he said.
Mr Yoffa said the program would be expanded to 10 places next year.
"This formula works for all involved and we look forward to helping more Centralians make a career out of this dynamic industry," he said. |
