In a national first, The University of Queensland has teamed up with Roma Miles Tourism Development Unit (RMTDU) to launch a tourism internship program which aims to address skills shortages in regional Queensland.
According to Professor Chris Cooper, Head of UQ’s School of Tourism, one of the exceptional aspects of the internship program is that it also promotes knowledge exchange between tourism operators and educators.
“A key component of the internship program is a ‘knowledge exchange’ workshop for the School of Tourism and the Roma tourism community,” Professor Cooper said.
“This full-day workshop will examine critical areas for the local tourism community such as time management, marketing and services management and will be delivered by the interns with the support of academic staff.
“The regional internship program is much more than a professional development opportunity for our finest students, it is about meaningful collaboration and support for the industry which our students enter.”
The program is supported by Tourism Queensland and was officially launched by Tourism Minister Margaret Keech this week, who commended UQ and RMTDU for their innovative approach to cooperation between regional operators and the higher education sector.
“This program is a wonderful initiative, taking three accomplished students from UQ’s School of Tourism out to Roma to work with local operators for a three-week period, and it has come about through the dedication of UQ and the RMTDU, with the assistance of Tourism Queensland,” Mrs Keech said.
“Skills shortages in regional tourism is an issue we are all well aware of and one that is a key aspect in the Queensland Tourism Strategy.
“Enthusiastic young students are given a chance to hone their skills and knowledge base in a growing hub for regional tourism, while local Roma operators are able to benefit from the students’ expertise to help further enhance and promote their businesses.”
The inaugural interns are Lauren Cashman (Ipswich), Rosanne Mollenhagen (Caboolture) and Taryn Dowrick (Charleville) who will travel to Roma to start their three-week internships on November 27.
Lauren said she was excited about the internship, as an opportunity to make connections, to get some hands on experience in a different setting and the opportunity to return something to the community.
“The workshop is an integral part of the internship program, it’s all about exchange,” she said.
“It’s about passing on knowledge from our studies that directly relates to working in regional tourism.
“I think it’s important to give back something to the Roma community, who have given us this great opportunity.
MEDIA: Sarah Schindeler at UQ (0410 136 147, s.schindeler@uq.edu.au)
