Partnership offers tourism students paid internships at Hayman Island Resort

A partnership between The Hotel School and Southern Cross University is offering Tourism students exclusive access to paid internships at the idyllic Hayman Island Resort in the Whitsundays.

The Hayman Island campus joins The Hotel School’s existing campus locations in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The Hotel School is a long-standing partnership between Southern Cross University and hotel giant Mulpha Australia.

The tropical campus at the InterContinental property in the Great Barrier Reef is the only hotel school in the world where students can study, work and live on a 5-star resort island.

The course, a two-year Associate Degree of International Hotel and Tourism Management accredited by Southern Cross University and HTMi Switzerland, blends university-level units with paid internships.

Southern Cross University Vice Chancellor Professor Tyrone Carlin said this latest hotel management study initiative presented students with a unique opportunity to enter the high-end hospitality industry.

Professor Carlin adds “The InterContinental Hayman Island Resort is one of the world’s most prestigious hotels and Southern Cross University has built a reputation for delivering outstanding hotel and tourism courses.

“Students can be confident the work experience they gain during the paid internship, where they will put into practice the knowledge and skills gained while studying, will open doors to careers in the high-end market.”

Mulpha Australia Chief Executive Greg Shaw said his organisation was proud to lead the industry with the world’s first 5-star resort island hotel school.

“With the opening of the Hayman Island campus, Mulpha has created a vision of a new globally unique academic offering.

Shaw added “rather than students studying academic content and enjoying work opportunities to re-enforce learning, the Hayman Island location allows complete and full integration of students into the InterContinental Resort business.

Sue Bakir, General Manager of The Hotel School, said students will be exposed to executive leadership of the resort and will be actively involved in driving performance and improvement.

“The ultimate goal is for students to understand all aspects of a resort operation and upon graduation be ready to take on further graduate studies offered by The Hotel School and Southern Cross University or managerial roles in hotel or hospitality operations,” advised Bakir.

After completing the Associate Degree, students are also eligible to graduate with a Diploma in International Hotel and Tourism Management from HTMi Switzerland, giving them a global hospitality passport. Additionally, students will have 24 months credit into the Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management at The Hotel School’s capital city campuses.

Applications are now open for the next intake in November 2021. For more information, visit scu.edu.au/tourism 

Images: The Hotel School Hayman Island campus where students study Associate Degree of International Hotel and Tourism Management