Queenstown Tourism Apprentice Wins National Training Award

He’s only 24, but Skyline Queenstown’s mountain biking coordinator Brad Rowe plans to become a leader in New Zealand’s tourism industry. According to the judges at Friday night’s ATTTO A+ Awards in Wellington, he has the potential to achieve his dreams.

Brad was named the Tourism Industry Association (TIA) Tourism Trainee of the Year at the inaugural industry training awards for the tourism, travel, aviation and museum sectors on 11 November 2011. He also received ATTTO’s Modern Apprentice of the Year Award.

Tourism Industry Association (TIA) Chief Executive Tim Cossar presented Brad with the Tourism Trainee of the Year Award, saying he had proven himself to be a committed tourism professional that had studied hard and applied his learning from a young age.

“He has a ‘go for it’ attitude, a passion for tourism and has shown strong leadership skills in setting up and managing this new department for Skyline. With mountain biking he is in the right place at the right time in a growing niche market. I am sure he will achieve great things and go on to hold senior positions in the sector.”

ATTTO Chief Executive (Acting) Kathy Wolfe said Brad was an example of the kind of innovative, hard-working and capable young people the tourism industry needed coming up through its ranks.

“The A+ Awards are a chance to recognise the individual achievements of industry trainees. They are also a celebration of the valuable economic role vocational education and training has to play in the success of industries and businesses,” said Kathy Wolfe.

“It takes dedication to study towards and complete a qualification while working full time. Well done to Brad and all of our other A+ Award winners and finalists.”

Other A+ Award winners included an apprentice travel agent from Auckland, a museum host from Canterbury and an aeronautical engineer from Air New Zealand.

Brad was among around 140 New Zealand tourism industry employees who completed national qualifications through ATTTO between 1 July 2010 and 31 June 2011.

He received a $500 training scholarship from ATTTO and a one-day pass to TRENZ 2012 from TIA. He said he would put his scholarship towards developing his leadership skills, so that he could further help build Queenstown’s reputation as an international mountain biking destination.