5 December 2019

Woodcroft local and TAFE NSW graduate, Sonia Ursino, has encouraged other travel enthusiasts to pursue their dream of working in an industry that contributes billions of dollars to Australia’s economy each year.

Deloitte Access Economics has estimated that there has been a vacancy rate of 7 per cent across Australian tourism businesses who are facing substantial recruitment and retention difficulties and skills deficiencies.

Without the necessary skills to pursue employment opportunities, Ms Ursino applied for a role at a travel agency about four years ago and was unsuccessful.  Sonia has now landed her dream job at Flight Centre Seven Hills since completing a Diploma of Travel and Tourism Management with TAFE Digital.

Ms Ursino said, “Travel is an exciting, constantly evolving industry I’ve always wanted to pursue for a career.

“I love the fact that I can talk and recommend exciting trips to my clients, learn about where they’ve already been and where they want to go.”

“Completing the diploma was a real point of difference between me then and now and showed how serious I am about travel, along with many years of customer service experience,” she said. “I was gratified to land the job with my salary being increased right from the start.”

After training with Flight Centre for four weeks and now into only her third week in-store at Seven Hills, Ms Ursino has already booked one of her clients on a trip of his dreams. 

“When learning that my client had always dreamt of attending the Running of the Bulls festival, I did a lot of research to maximise his experience and itinerary,” she said.

“I could happily say ‘Olé!’ when presenting him with an exciting trip to Spain to attend the Running of the Bulls festival, followed by time in San Sebastian, Ibiza and Morocco. I think my determination in finding the best possible tour was paramount to him booking with me.”

Ms Ursino is very cognisant of the fact that clients come to her for her expertise and knowledge, to recommend various choices and book well thought-out trips they will never forget.

“I could not have achieved this without TAFE Digital,” said Ms Ursino.  “The best thing about studying online was that I could set my own pace around hectic work and home commitments, as a wife and mum to two school-aged children.”

“The teachers were amazing, kept me incredibly motivated with their in-depth, industry-relevant experience and were only an email or call away when I needed advice.”

To explore hundreds of exciting TAFE Digital courses across a wide variety of modern industries, please visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/digital

Media contact: Bonny Gunn, TAFE Digital Media and Communications Business Partner. M: 0417 134 048