Nature Guides Head For The Classroom

South Island tourism operator Real Journeys has joined forces with Tai Poutini Polytechnic to enable its nature guides to learn as they earn.

Twenty Real Journeys staff from Milford Sound, Te Anau, Manapouri, Doubtful Sound, Stewart Island and Queenstown completed a week long residential training course at Borland Lodge towards gaining a Diploma in Ecotourism.

Real Journeys joined up with Tai Poutini Polytechnic for the first time last year to provide staff with an opportunity to gain further qualifications while developing their  interpretation skills.

Milford Operations Manager, Angus Small, said the course has been specially tailored by the West Coast polytechnic for Real Journeys, enabling the guides to work through the required core modules during the quieter winter season.

Topics covered this year included environmental sustainability and Maori language, culture and story telling. Last year’s programme focused on meteorology, geology, plant and animal biology and interpretation techniques.

“All of the guides who started working on the diploma units last year returned to carry on with the course this year. We also made the training available to more staff and the feedback from everybody has been incredibly positive about the chance to be able to gain a qualification while working in the field,” Mr Small said.

In addition to attending the residential course, the nature guides also continue their studies in their own time.

For more information contact:
Angus Small
Real Journeys Milford Operations Manager
Tel: 03 249 8160

Gabby Lake
Marketing Communications Co-ordinator
Tel: 03 442 4830