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I’ve always had an interest in travel and wanted to do a course that gave me the opportunity of having a qualification that could be used abroad.
I found out about the BBS in Applied Tourism through an open day at the college. Overall I feel like I could not have chosen a better college than Sligo IT; the atmosphere was great, there was an active students union providing the students with a great social life and many clubs and societies. The lecturers were extremely helpful and would give you time on a one-to-one basis if needed. There were 40 students doing our course in our first year.
A big factor in choosing the BBS in Applied Tourism was that I could travel the world with this qualification. This degree course sounded interesting to me as the tourism industry is so diverse the qualification enables me to take up a career in such areas as accommodation sector, tour guiding, event management etc.
I did subjects such as:
• French,
• Marketing,
• Strategic Management,
• Statistics,
• Festival & Event Management,
• Tourism Policy
For the degree course there were Christmas and end of year exams as well as continuous assessment throughout the year. As part of the degree we had to do 5 ½ months of work experience in the tourism industry and this took place in second year. I went to work in France at a 4* Star campsite in France. Campsites in France are unlike many in Ireland – they have swimming pools, hotels and loads of other facilities on site. The company which I worked for was a reputable Irish family run business who had part of their operation in France. My job was the Liaison Officer for the Irish company at home in Galway. I would liaise with their clients in France to ensure that they were having a good holiday experience. I continued that for three summers, this was a great and memorable experience for me and I got the opportunity to improve my French.
On completion of my undergrad I then continued to do a Masters Degree so that I would become specialised in a particular field. My research topic is “Global Conformity of Indicators for Eco-Certification Programmes.
For the masters I carry out my own research, my supervisor is particularly helpful. We meet on a weekly basis and he keeps me focused and motivated at my work. I have great facilities to do my research, I have been provided with a research office and new equipment. On completion of my masters I would be interesting in lecturing or working as a consultant in my field of eco-certification programs for tourism organisations.
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