By Martin O’Brien
Former Programme Leader – Service Industries Kingston College*
Owing to our continued and supportive connection with the Global Travel and Tourism Partnership, Kingston College and Hertz Car Rental have been able to offer fantastic work placement opportunities to seven of the College’s students earlier this year.
Students worked in different departments of the Hertz car rental operations at London Heathrow Airport, with the support of staff members, and the feedback has been very positive. Kingston College asked Annabelle Lynch (Level 2 Travel & Tourism) what she thought of the placement and we were thrilled with her responses:
Annabelle serving at Hertz London Heathrow Instant Return
What did you think of the placement?
“It was a really good placement with friendly people. The support from the staff members was excellent with constant guidance that helped me in the week.”
What has the placement taught you?
“The main things that I have learnt relate to customer service and the importance of where a business is located. Throughout the week my confidence also grew.”
Annabelle works with the team at Hertz Instant Return to inspect rental cars on their return.
Would you recommend this placement to other students?
“Absolutely. I really enjoyed it, especially working in the returns department checking the cars that came back in.”
Anything else?
“I would like to say thank you to Hertz for hosting me in this placement, it was a great experience and I would love to have the opportunity to work there in the future”
Students have been given the opportunity to work in a number of different departments and have an insight into how a real travel and tourism business operates. Our students now have a greater understanding of how customer service can affect a business and the importance of establishing relationships with customers.
Kingston College would once again like to thank Hertz and the GTTP for their continued support and dedication. It is opportunities like this that enrich the journey of a student and helps make them more employable when they leave education.
* About Kingston College
Based in South West London, UK, Kingston College is a major provider of further education for post-secondary students. Its Service Department offers Level 1-3 travel and tourism courses aimed at students aged 16-19. The goal of the college’s work experience program is to expose students to a travel and tourism related working environment and to work as part of a professional team.
Kingston College has been affiliated with the Global Travel and Tourism Partnership for several years, and two of its students represented the UK at the 2012 GTTP Student/Teacher Conference in Monaco. The College works closely with the GTTP UK Director Claire Steiner to maintain their industry knowledge and relevance for the students.