Hannah Mullenger
Hannah enrolled for the Year 1 Hospitality Trades Academy programme when she was in Year 12 at Nayland College. She had always wanted to get into the hospitality industry but wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a chef and work in a kitchen or be part of a Front of House team. The Year 1 Hospitality Trades Academy programme offered her the opportunity to try both areas to help her decide which one she preferred. By the end of the year, Hannah knew that Front of House was for her.
Once she made that decision, Hannah looked at her options for further study. She decided to leave school, having gained NCEA Level 2, and enrolled for the Level 3 Certificate in Food and Beverage Service at NMIT. Hannah is keen to gain her Level 3 credits and then enrol in the Level 4 Food and Beverage qualification, which will focus on developing the management skills she wants to progress in the hospitality sector.
She says that “being part of the Trades Academy programme gave me the confidence to enrol at NMIT to study full time in the area where I want to work in the future. My course gives me real professional experience and practice in Front of House.” Hannah would one day like to run her own café, but in the meantime she plans to stay in Nelson when her study finishes at the end of this year and work locally in hospitality to gain more skills and experience.
Trades Academy was the stepping stone Hannah needed to make the move from school to tertiary study. “It was great having the same tutor both at Trades Academy and now in my full time course. I feel confident coming to NMIT; Greg is relaxed and easy going and he always makes you feel welcome”.
Hannah’s advice to other school students thinking about Trades Academy is: “Give it a go, even if you’re not 100% sure if it’s what you want to do. Find out and experience it for yourself.”