Only three years ago student Caitlin Smith began her journey towards her dream cabin crew job by beginning a course in travel and tourism. Now, Caitlin has finished all her training, with a job secured at leading travel operator TUI.
Caitlin has spoken about her journey from a Level 3 vocational course, to gaining her wings with a major British airline.
She said: “After studying for two years at Havant & South Downs College, I decided to stay on an extra six months doing fast track Cabin Crew to help me get my dream job.
“Through the course we learnt everything we needed to know about the safety and emergency procedures taught in training by airlines. This included a trip to the British Airways training centre at London Heathrow, to give us an in depth view of what it would be like during our training period.
“The course gave me and everyone else on it a real view of the job learning in a realistic environment. The cabin at the South Downs Campus allowed us to put our roles into practice exactly how we would on board with limited space covering everything from the safety demo to emergency procedures and first aid situations.”
Caitlin continued to talk about how her experience at HSDC helped her to stand out from the crowd in job interviews, ultimately securing Caitlin her first ever role at a leading airline.
She said: “Because I had an in-depth knowledge of the industry and the job itself, it really helped me to thrive in my interviews and stand out as I knew a lot about what was to come in the training process and the job role itself if I were to be successful.
“The lecturers are really supportive and help to get everyone to where they want to be, whether they decide to be cabin crew or not.
“When I started I had already applied for airlines before but had been unsuccessful but Kim and the team helped me to persevere and get the job – by the end of the course I ended up with more than one job offer! I have just finished my training and am currently working for TUI.”
On the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Travel & Tourism, you will acquire a range of key transferable skills in areas such as: research, evaluation, team working, presentation and problem solving.
Importantly, this course will teach you the scale and importance of the travel and tourism industry. For example, you’ll research and understand how customer service, the environment, the economy, culture, organisations and destinations all affect the sector, both in the UK and overseas.
You’ll also have the chance to participate in field trips, both nationally and internationally, in order to experience destinations and consider career specialisms.
If you want to find out more about this course or apply, click here.