23.07.07
School pupils get a taste for tourism

Pupils from secondary schools from across Cornwall have sampled university study at Cornwall College Camborne, as part of a practical activities week looking at tourism.

The Year 8 pupils, from Helston, Brannel, Poltair and Humphry Davy schools, attended the College for a week, to find out about the extensive range of courses and careers in tourism, and visited some of the region's top tourist attractions to get a real insight into the industry.

"We tried to make the week as interactive as possible," explains Tourism Foundation Degree Course Manager Liz Waters, who helped to coordinate the visit. "We went to the Headland Hotel in Newquay, where pupils tried out various jobs, and also to Newquay Zoo where the children were able to see for themselves the variety of tasks open to graduates from hospitality and tourism. It was a great opportunity to introduce some of the county's young people to the concept of university-level education in Cornwall and they all had a great time."

"We weren't sure what to expect," said one pupil, "but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and learnt a lot, especially about jobs in tourism."

Cornwall College is a Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in Tourism, offering a wide range of tourism courses from customer care and sustainability to hospitality and tourism university courses, approved by the University of Plymouth. The courses are delivered as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative, with investment from the Objective One European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Tourism CoVE Manager at Cornwall College, Tanya Bellingham was delighted with the feedback after the event. "Over 90% of those who took part expressed an interest in studying at university-level in the future," she said, "which is hugely encouraging for us. We hope to maintain the pupils' enthusiasm with other similar activities next year."

The week was part-funded by Aimhigher, a national initiative to increase participation in higher education.

John Latham, Principal of Cornwall College, said: "Leisure and tourism is vital for our continued economic growth, with 30% of employment in the region in this sector.

"According to the County Council," John continues, "since 2001 the 'Eden Effect' is estimated to have generated more than £450 million for other Cornish businesses. The increasing popularity of visits to gardens and historic sites and the success of many major attractions give Cornwall the opportunity to extend its season and offer more highly paid permanent jobs for well qualified people."

If you would like to find out more about the range of tourism courses at Cornwall College, call 0845 22 32 567 or email uni@cornwall.ac.uk.
For more information please contact Lucy Thornton on 01726 226553 or email lucy.thornton@cornwall.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). Cornwall College is a partner of the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Cornwall College is the largest college in the UK with over 45,000 students.

Cornwall College has seven campuses in Cornwall, these are Camborne, St Austell, Saltash, Newquay, Duchy College Rosewarne, Duchy College Stoke Climsland and Falmouth Marine School.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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