Sky’s the limit for students’ recruitment skills
Posted: 28 November 2019
West Nottinghamshire College’s travel and tourism students earnt their wings this week (26 November) with one of the UK’s largest airline companies, after going through a rigorous recruitment training day.
The Level 3 Travel and Tourism group met with Jet2.com brand champion Amanda Kay for a day of activities designed to get them work-ready and skilled for applying for jobs and attending interviews next year.
Students worked in groups rotationally throughout the day tackling different tasks such as getting individual interview practice, psychometric testing and a knowledge test about Jet2.com company itself.
The sales challenge asked students to come up with a new holiday destination – either real or fictional – that Jet2.com don’t already offer. For the teamwork challenge, they were asked to design a new airline, including pricing, branding and features such as pre-flight takeaway service. It was then pitched to Amanda, who graded each idea for its marketing potential and appeal to holiday-makers.
Amanda has been in the industry for eleven years. She began working with an online travel agency and now works for Jet2.com in Leeds or the airport in Manchester. She said: “Today’s students have been really engaging and a pleasure to work with. The work they’ve put in today has shown they’re well on their way to getting prepared for entering the world of work.”
Student Sophie Welbourn, 19, said: “Today has been quite fun and it’s been interesting to see what kind of skills a company like Jet2.com are looking for. It’s also enabled me to see any areas that I need to improve on personally.
“I enjoyed the destination challenge. My group devised a make-believe place called ‘Over The Rainbow’, a holiday place aimed at families and children. We planned our ideas carefully to think about what attractions and accommodation our audience would like from a holiday.
“My ideal job in the future would be to work in a management role in the accommodation industry.”
Tutor Claire Craig said: “The practical assessment is a real highlight of the course, and we’re grateful to Jet2.com for supporting this. Participating in practical assessments ensures that our students are ready for employment after the course and know what to expect, putting them ahead of other candidates.”