News | Oamaru Students Celebrate ATTTO Scholarships

Courtney Familton (left) and Chontelle Watson with Jefferie Tippen, i-SITE New Zealand. Photo: Oamaru Mail

Oamaru tourism employees Courtney Familton and Chontelle Watson have been awarded rare scholarships to help continue their industry training.

In April representatives from the New Zealand Visitor Information Network (i-SITE) and ATTTO visited their home town to present the young women with $1000 each.

The scholarship will either pay for their next level of training or will assist them through current qualifications.

In between her study, Miss Familton, 18, works at the Oamaru i-SITE and hopes to stick with frontline tourism management in the future.

Miss Watson, also 18, works part-time at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony and is  working on her level four tour guide papers, with more planned for next year.

"The scholarship is really cool. It will help a lot and is a great opportunity," she said.

Both recipients are former students at Waitaki Girls' High School.

ATTTO Events and Promotions Project Leader Matthew Davies said it was "quite unusual" to present two scholarships in the same town, at the same time.

"In the applications they had to tell us why they are dedicated to a tourism career," he said.

"The objective is to keep bright and talented people in the industry."

Visitor Information Network secretary Jefferie Tippen, who travelled from Christchurch for the presentation, said Miss Familton was the first recipient through the i-SITE centres.

"We are very, very pleased ... She is the first - nationwide - in three years," he said.

Miss Watson received her scholarship in the Tourism Flying Start section and Miss Familton received hers for the Tourism Up-Skill category.

Applications will soon open for the next round of scholarships for 2012.

Sign up to our e-newsletter for ATTTO scholarship updates or see our Scholarships page for more information.

Source: Oamaru Mail