NEWS IN DETAIL...
College Introductory Day at new St Mellion learning facilities
The new intake of Travel and Tourism and Hospitality students starting at Cornwall College Saltash this September got the opportunity to visit the College recently for an Introductory Day held both at the main campus in Saltash as well as at brand new learning facilities they will study in at the St Mellion International Resort.
Having visited the main campus and taken part in a variety of talks and team building activities the group were taken to St Mellion to become the first students to see and use the new base of the Cornwall School of Tourism and Hospitality.
The school will provide a wide range of career orientated learning and professional training for young people who want to work in tourism and hospitality and will combine conventional training in tourism and hospitality with ‘hands on’ experience at a leading employer as well as online learning and video-conferencing, which opens up access to the latest thinking from around the globe.
It will also work closely with a range of employers, including the Eden Project, Flybe and the National Maritime Museum.
Stephen Towers, Resort Director of St Mellion International Resort, said: “We are delighted to be part of this ground breaking initiative. Great people are the soul of every successful business, no more so than in hospitality and tourism. The new school offers young people the opportunity to hone their skills at an early age, understanding the industry through both academic and real time learning with high quality employers in the sector. The students will gain invaluable life skills that will not only prepare them for great careers, but provide the foundation for the future success of our industry.”
The new building will be used by the College as well as five local secondary schools in Callington, Liskeard, Looe, Saltash and Torpoint who have joined together to form the South East Cornwall Learning Partnership and it will become a hub for Travel and Tourism and Hospitality learning in the area.
The project has been funded as part of a £3.5 million capital grant from the Department of Education that has provided a learning base featuring state of the art information, communication and technology equipment as well as access to the resort’s facilities.
While there the students enjoyed a series of talks from local business people and industry experts including Nick Barclay from the Blue Plate Restaurant, Becky Lush from Event Cornwall, Regan Bailey and Luke Millikin from the St Mellion Management Team, Sammie Platten from Pentillie Castle, Simon Platten from Tamar Grow Local and professional Event Co-ordinator Fred Jackson. They also got the opportunity to quiz the guests during an extensive question and answer session.
Chef Nick Barclay whose restaurant is based in Downderry said: “It has been a really delightful day. The future of our industry is before us here and this will be a great place for them to begin their journey.”
Head of Faculty at Cornwall College Saltash, Peter Castell, added: “The new facility will provide an ideal location to base the Saltash portfolio of Travel and Tourism qualifications and affords an excellent base for learners to better understand what working in the tourism and hospitality sector is all about. We are really proud of the opportunities we will be able to give our learners.”
Siannon Austin (18) from Plymouth has just completed the Travel and Tourism Level 2 and plans to progress onto the Level 3 in September. She said: “The new facilities at St Mellion are fantastic and for us to have the opportunity to work within the resort as part of our course is a brilliant opportunity.”
“It has been a great day” added fellow Travel and Tourism student Tamar Hunter (17) also from Plymouth. “The new facilities at the resort will make a huge difference to our course.”
Dave Linnell, Principal of Cornwall College said: “We were really pleased to be able to utilise these amazing new facilities during our Introductory Day and show the group of current and new students what they can benefit from in September. We would also like to thank all our guests for providing our learners with such a great experience.”
Learning will begin in the new building starting this September and places are still available on a wide range of courses. For more information about the Cornwall School of Tourism and Hospitality and the courses available via Cornwall College Saltash visit www.cornwall.ac.uk.
