Heather Craig-Peddie and David McCaig of ACTA
An impressive roomful of potential employees
Gigi Estragadhino, centre, with some of her students
Israel's Ellen Melman and Transat's Susan Diefenbaker
What a great idea! Assemble a ballroom full of travel college students together with an array of suppliers. The students get a feel for the corporate culture and job opportunities with tour operators, airlines, resorts and tourist boards… while the suppliers get a chance to meet these keeners face-to-face and maybe entice a few new employees.
That was the scenario at the ACTA Student Conference, held this week at the Woodbine Convention Centre not far from Pearson Airport in Toronto. A reinvention of a similar conference held in past years, this one was clearly a winner.
Some 200 students from 7 colleges (including Thunder Bay’s Confederation College) registered, with 12 teachers joining them. As Humber College’s Dawn Aitken put it, “It’s great that ACTA has rejuvenated the conference – it’s a wonderful opportunity for the students to learn what’s going on and the variety of jobs out there in the industry.”
While the majority of those in the room were in their 20s, it was interesting to see a smattering of older participants who are clearly looking at travel as a 2nd career.
Participating suppliers included Sandals, WestJet, the Israel Tourist Board, Hilton Hotels and Transat. There was also a trade show allowing participants to, as Gigi Estragadinho from Centennial College put it, “Get their feet wet and start to get a real grasp of the layers in the industry, wholesale vs. retail.
ACTA’s President & COO David McCaig was also present, of course. As he told me: “With the average age of ACTA member travel agents across the country nearing 50, it’s a great opportunity for suppliers to get their message to these young students, and for ACTA to build its credibility. We’ll definitely be back next year.”
