The global financial crisis, the high Australian dollar and the series of natural disasters affecting key tourist destinations have all had an impact on the tourism industry.
Despite these factors, two graduates from The University of Queensland’s School of Tourism have attained key positions in the Marriott Hotel Brisbane Graduate Management Program.
Ms Lin Ke, one of the graduates in the program, said she is “excited” to start her career in the tourism industry.
“I love the tourism industry because I have always been passionate about customer service and hospitality. Since I was young, my dream career, was always to become a general manager in a well-known international hotel,” she said.
The 18-month program builds practical skills in hotel operations learnt through rotations in different departments of the hotel.
Ms Lin believes getting into the program was made easier by having gained experience in hospitality throughout her degree.
“I was able to apply my theoretical knowledge gained at university in a practical way in my previous positions at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre, Mirvac Hotels and Resorts and currently at the Brisbane Marriott,” she said.
Fellow participant in the program and UQ graduate Simon Yang Xiao also believes developing practical skills to complement your knowledge is vital to getting a start in the tourism industry.
“Students need to stay hungry for work experience, no matter if it’s as a volunteer, a part-time job or an internship, employers value your experience, especially as you start your career. Hospitality is one industry where work experience in your first five working years is worth a great deal after that the degree you hold can decide how far you can go,” he said.
Both graduates aim to have long successful careers in the industry, with aspirations to become General Managers of international five star hotels.
After finishing the program Ms Ke plans to use her vast hotel operations knowledge to seek out opportunities in management internationally.
“I would like to apply for a management position at this hotel or even transfer to Marriott International in Asia so I can fully ultilise my multi-language skills (Chinese, English and Japanese). My ultimate goal is to become a general manager at an international five star hotel like the Marriott and make my family, university and employer proud,” she said.
Media: Claire Shuter (07) 3346 8716 or c.shuter@uq.edu.au
