A work placement has turned into a job offer for Coleg Menai student Efa India Everitt-Mcall.
Efa has been offered a job with the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway after impressing on work experience.
After completing a week’s work placement out of the Caernarfon station as part of her Level 2 Travel, Tourism & Business course at the college’s Bangor campus, Efa was asked to send in her CV, and later this month will start work as an on-train steward, dealing with customers who come from all over the world to travel on the famous railway.
Efa said of her work placement: “It was a great experience and not what I expected. I was helping to check people in with their tickets in the morning, then working on the train serving people tea, coffee and snacks, and cleaning down the carriages afterwards, so it was quite varied.
“I was excited when they asked me to send my CV because I knew there was only one vacancy. I’m looking forward to starting.”
The Level 2 Travel, Tourism & Business course could be ideal for those who are unsure which direction to follow, as it provides a wide range of learning and experience.
It includes units in travel, hospitality and business, as well as work experience and a careers unit. With so many industries linked to travel, the course develops transferable skills that could be useful in a variety of careers.
“I’d recommend the course,” said Efa.
“I knew I wanted to go into travel and tourism, but I hadn’t heard of the course before I went into college and asked what they had. My tutor Sharon Jones has helped me a lot.”
For Efa, the highlight of the course was a trip to London, where the class stayed in The Royal National Hotel.
“We saw Buckingham Palace and some of the other tourist attractions, watched Wicked the Musical, and had a look around the hotel to see how they do things,” said Efa.
While in London, the class also visited the British Museum, went to Harrods, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, and even had the opportunity to see guests arriving at the premier of the film Challengers in Leicester Square.
Do you want to work in the tourism industry? Grŵp Llandrillo Menai offers Travel and Tourism courses from Level 2 all the way through to degree level. Visit www.gllm.ac.uk/courses/travel-and-tourism for more information.