Tourism school makes its mark on map

By Libby Middlebrook

The third floor of Queen St's 246 Building looks more like a swanky corporate office than a student campus, until a group of schoolbags sails out of the elevator shaft.

The building is home to one of the country's newest training establishments, the School of Travel and Tourism, and it's no surprise that hundreds of students are signing up to study among the trendy red chairs and sprinkling of artwork.

But founder Pam Pattison says there's a lot more to the school than just fine furniture.

Established in 1998, the Auckland school has attracted 400 students. A further 250 students are studying at its original college site in Christchurch, which opened in 1996.

"What makes us different is our strong industry relationships and we've obviously hit the recipe for success," Mrs Pattison says.

"No matter what area we go into, we always form an association with a major player in that industry and it has really worked for the school and our students."

Mrs Pattison started in the education business as travel and tourism tutor at Christchurch Polytechnic in 1991, following a career in marketing and travel agency work. Six years later she resigned, secretly planning to set up a private travel and tourism school across the road from the Christchurch Polytechnic.

"I really wanted to do something on my own. It was very difficult to be innovative because of the constraints of working for a large public organisation. They tend to be very politically based and, because they don't specialise in one area, you're always fighting for resources."

She sought accreditation from the Qualifications Authority and took out a substantial loan to finance a marketing campaign and school prospectus, which she distributed to high school students during a tour of New Zealand to promote the school.

"It was a major expense for a fledging business but I'm a great believer in marketing. It was a big financial commitment and it wasn't one I took lightly."

As part of her initial business plan, Mrs Pattison also approached New Zealand's largest travel group, United Travel and Passport Holidays, to set up a formal business partnership with the school. She wanted to add value to the business by introducing training programmes that were tailored to industry needs and exposed students directly to the industry.

"That's what has given us the edge. I always had a feeling that for training to be truly successful it needed to be more closely associated with industry. I saw an opportunity to move out and form a business that could be truly innovative."

United Travel Group agreed to take a 26 per cent shareholding in the school, and since the Christchurch school opened the company has been active in developing training programmes and implementing technology, including international reservation systems, which have never been available to New Zealand students before.

Mrs Pattison says the school achieved its five-year business plan within its first year, with 250 students in Christchurch. Today the school has 650 students and operates a free employment agency and runs 12 courses, including a Diploma in Travel, Tourism and Business Technology.

Although academic fees are costly - ranging from $5000 for a 12-week course to $7000 for a full year of study - Mrs Pattison makes no apologies.

"We're at the top end of the market. Our links with industry players mean our students can hit the ground running, without further investment from their employers."

These days Mrs Pattison leaves day-to-day running of the Christchurch and Auckland campuses to the school's 36 staff members while she concentrates on new business ventures associated with her second company, Internet Learning.

The company, which was set up in 1996, has just signed a deal to design and run a travel and tourism school for Australian travel giant STA Travel. It will be done with the Australian Federation of Travel Agents Association over the internet.

Mrs Pattison expects to sign between 700 and 1000 Australian students for the next academic year.

She hopes the deal will lead to more business ventures with other overseas training institutions and is awaiting accreditation from NZQA to run the National Diploma of Business Management across the internet in New Zealand.

"That where we see ourselves in the future, adding value to students and linking it to our school. We see a lot of potential for growth on the international market. It's got the ability to be very profitable."

Meanwhile, Mrs Pattison is enjoying running her own business and bringing up her sons, aged 9 and 11.

"It's the adrenalin of being able to make your own decisions and taking a risk. It's the only way to go."