Hollie inspires students to fly high in travel and tourism industry

A former travel and tourism student from Orpington has returned to London South East Collegs this week to give an inspiring talk and presentation to the current cohort of budding travel agents, tour guides, reps and cabin crew.

Hollie Askew, 23, attended the College’s Orpington Campus to study for her Travel and Tourism Level 3 Diploma between 2011 and 2013. Since then, she has enjoyed a number of different positions in the exciting world of travel and is now a member of cabin crew for TUI (formerly known as Thompson) as well as a fully qualified onboard security and safety trainer.

Hollie came to the College to talk to a group of 50 students all of whom wish to follow her success and take to the skies in various roles after finishing their courses. She told them about the variety of different career paths available, the ups and downs of the industry, working in foreign countries, dealing with customers, security measures and safeguards, expectations and responsibilities.

Hollie said: “I have come a long way in just five years since I left the College. It didn’t take me long to find work and I’ve manage to undertake many other forms of training available in the industry to supplement the qualifications I achieved here.

“I have worked as a rep for a popular ski holiday company, as a cabin crew member and now as a cabin security and safety training officer. I train cabin crews and even pilots to use a range of safety equipment, procedures, firefighting, survival, I even show them how to restrain unruly passengers in an emergency situation.

“I love coming back to the place where it all started for me, and to talk to the current students about my career so far. It’s nice to give something back after everything my tutors Clare and Catherine did for me just a short time ago.

“The College gave me a solid foundation and a great insight to the industry. We were exposed to industry professionals and employers, taken on lots of field trips and coached on interview and presentation techniques. The experience was very fulfilling and has empowered me to earn a very good living. I would recommend it to anybody who wants to broaden their minds, stretch their legs and see the world.”

If you are interested in a career in the travel, entertainment or events industries, London South East Colleges has a great range of courses to get you started. Visit www.lsec.ac.uk for more information.