A former Bournemouth & Poole College student has travelled to more than 20 destinations since achieving her dream job as Virgin Atlantic cabin crew.
Rebekah Coppard, 25, studied the Diploma in Air Cabin Crew at the College, which provides people with the relevant skills and qualifications to pursue a career within the airline industry and other hospitality industries such as cruise lines and luxury trains.
During the course, Rebekah took on part-time retail work to boost her customer service experience, and after leaving the College, she worked with an airline flying out of Bournemouth. Rebekah then worked for Virgin Atlantic, where she has been promoted to cabin service supervisor. Since leaving the College, Rebekah has visited more than 20 holiday destinations including Antigua, New York, Dubai and Hong Kong.
Rebekah said: “Overall, I believe that going to the College was the best decision that I could have made as it gave me the best possible start to my flying career.
“We took part in regular practical exercises on safety and service at the College, which really helped me during the training process at Virgin Atlantic. We also worked in the Escoffier restaurant once a week, where I learnt how to serve food and drink, which has given me the skills required when serving in the upper class cabin.”
Rebekah’s advice to anyone hoping to follow her career path is focus on gaining customer service skills, which Virgin Atlantic keep to a high standard. She said that her work as cabin crew is incredibly rewarding because every day she meets different customers and crew while travelling across the globe.
Judith Grandjean, learning manager for hospitality and tourism at the College, said: “We are so pleased to hear how well Rebekah has done since leaving Bournemouth & Poole College. It is testament to all of our students that they can achieve the career of their dreams if they put in the hard work.
“We work closely with a number of companies at the College, to ensure that we are teaching students the relevant skills needed to succeed in a range of careers within the travel and tourism industry. We have a high success rate of securing jobs for our students with recognisable airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, TUI and British Airways.”
Bournemouth & Poole College offers a range of courses within the travel and tourism department, including the Diploma in Cabin Crew & Airport Operations, Diploma in Hospitality & Events, and a BTEC Extended Diploma in Travel and Tourism. As a Swissport Academy, the College works with global ground handling agents for airports all around the world.
Dorset is one of the top holiday destinations in the UK and the College boasts a number of tutors who have experience as hotel managers, cabin crew, travel agents, and tour reps. Research by the Office of National Statistics shows that four out of five jobs in the UK are in the service sector, with travel and tourism listed as the largest single employer.
For more information about the travel and tourism courses offered at the College please visit www.thecollege.co.uk/tourism or call 01202 205205.