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I thought that the BA in Business & Tourism in Limerick Institute of Technology was the logical choice based on my background & interests. For me the BA in Business & Tourism appealed to me because firstly my highest results in my Leaving Certificate were in Business & Geography. Also members of my family have all been working in the tourism industry so this career has always appealed to me from a young age.
One of the reasons I took this course was because there would be a plentiful supply of jobs available when I graduated. When working in the tourism industry you need to have plenty of skills such as marketing, human resource management, financial management etc. By having a degree in Business & Tourism makes it makes you more appealing to the employer. It also opens up many doors to exciting job opportunities and it enables you to travel with your degree & gain employment abroad.
For me the most interesting aspects of the course was learning about the management of tourism businesses, meeting with guest speakers from industry & going on field trips to visit tourist sites within Ireland.
This qualification will stand to all graduates as you can apply for jobs abroad, language also is an option, enabling them to travel the world.
I chose this college because of its location near to home and that it was the only course that was offered in Limerick in a background that interested me. Also it was a new exciting course and a Business Tourism qualification will be recognised in any part of the world. Even though the course was offered in Limerick I did not go because of friends; I actually knew no- one in the course and thought it was better & made great friends which I still have today.
I absolutely loved my 3 years in L.I.T. The lecturers were very helpful, encouraging and we were well catered for (lots of knowledge gaining through notes and project work). The students union worked very hard, always a great buzz on our ‘main street’ where promotions, new club & society information details were provided. They were fun people and made a great impression on the students and faculty and still continue to do so. The lecturers also provided extra classes for revision before exams or for those who simply needed extra help, always provided recommended readings for extra research to encourage the students to do more. It obviously worked for me as I went on to further studies & completed my MA in Business & International Tourism in the University of Limerick. The facilities in the college are of a very high standard capable of catering for the number of students attending the college. The library has 2 floors, there was a main computer room and smaller designated computer rooms around college to cater for all students academic backgrounds, the canteen was great with easy access to deli- hot food counters & the college was located near many shops, restaurants and 5 minutes from city centre so ease of access was excellent.
I am currently working in New York and would like to see more of the world with my qualifications. The best thing about my current position is that I’m continuously learning new marketing techniques, working on promotions, travelling with work to meet the trade partners & building up my skills, knowledge and abilities (ska’s) and putting what I learned in college into practice. The type of work I have been doing is: Co-ordinating with the travel industry partners through a marketing partnership programme, using online & offline marketing procedures to help expose our partners, attending trade shows e.g. Boston Globe Travel Show, The Philadelphia Flower Show & the Volvo Ocean Race & monitoring consumer trends.
I got my current job by getting a successful interview through an IBEC ( Irish Business and Employers Confederation) programme. I had to sit an interview with them and then once I was successful IBEC selecting a company that would suit my academic background – in my case I got a job with Tourism Ireland. My course definitely helped to get my current job, as candidates were selected on education backgrounds & suitability to the interviewing company.
I think I will stay in this industry as I have a degree and masters in Business & Tourism. I would definitely recommend the tourism industry to anyone who has an interest in this sector. The calibre of people in the Tourism industry is what makes the tourism industry an exciting & interesting place to work and be apart of. I really think that the tourism industry is a fascinating industry as it encourages travel into a destination & brings with it foreign revenue, creation of jobs & a healthy standard of living.
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