Career Development Workshops

The Sustainable Tourism CRC Education Program supports a range of research, professional and career development activities. These include generic research training workshops, generic skills workshops, and attendance at the CAUTHE conference. The Education Program aims to deepen students’ understanding of broader tourism issues, to develop an appreciation of research needs within the tourism industry, to provide opportunities for students to network with other PhDs, academics and tourism industry stakeholders, and to develop skills required to enhance career progression.

Planned student activities:

STCRC & Tourism Futures Conference, Surfers Paradise, August 2009: 23 STCRC PhD scholars have been invited to attend the Tourism Futures Conference being held on the Gold Coast, 17-19 August 2009. Seven of the STCRC PhD students attending will participate in presentations and the Best Practice Forums. Two of the STCRC students will, as Future STCRC Researchers, make presentations to the delegates over lunch. Nathalie-Chantel McCaughey will present an extract of her work on ‘Panacea or Pandoras Box - Global Airline Industry’ and Kelly Cassidy, who has now completed her PhD will present on ‘Exploring Commercial and Management Issues arising from Strata Title Accommodation’.

Five PhD students, based on their research, have been selected by STCRC together with the organisers of the Tourism Futures Conference to assist the Conference Facilitators during the Best Practice Forums. The Best Practice Forums are designed to provide cutting edge best practice updates, with a strong focus on the future. The forums will comprise interactive discussions assisted by expert panels. The forum topics are:

• Tourism Online – Marketing and Distribution: Facilitator Liz Ward, CEO Australian Tourism Data Warehouse
• Destination Management – Policy and Development: Facilitator Wayne Kayler-Thomson, CEO Vic Employees Chamber of Commerce & Industry
• Business Events Tourism: Facilitator Adrienne Reading, General Manager, Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
• Sustainability and Climate Change: Facilitator: Olivia Wirth, Executive Director, TTF Australia Ltd
• Consumer Research and Market Winning Insights: Facilitator: Gregory Hywood, CE Tourism Victoria

Each forum will be chaired and facilitated by a senior industry figure and the opportunity that has been provided to the STCRC is for a student to support the facilitator by providing comprehensive notes and evaluation of the sessions as they progress through the day. Each forum may operate differently depending on the wishes of the facilitator. This role will have a number of benefits for the PhD Students, including the opportunity to network with a number of senior industry figures.

Student activities that have been facilitated by the program over the last 12 months include:

• STCRC PhD Workshop, Kingscliff, Sept 2008: 19 students attended the PhD Career Development Workshop at Peppers Salt Resort and Spa, Kingcliff, NSW, from 29 September to 1 October 2008. The two main  themes were “Research Support” and “Media Training”. Click here to read full report. Click here to read the Appendix.
• STCRC PhD Workshop, Gold Coast, Feb 2008: 51 STCRC scholars attended the Bill Faulkner PhD Workshop and CAUTHE Conference 2008 at the Surfers Paradise’s Gold Coast International Hotel from 8 to 11 February 2008. Workshops included getting published, NVivo (qualitative data analysis tool) and the Experience Sampling Method. This workshop was facilitated by Prof Beverley Sparks, Director STCRC Education Program. Click here to read full report.
  
• STCRC PhD Workshop, Byron Bay, July 2007: 41 STCRC scholars from STCRC partner universities attended this workshop held in Byron Bay from 15 to 18 July 2007 which explored strategies for successful PhD completion, self promotion using visual medium, argument mapping, article writing and research discussion. Click here to read full report.
  
• STCRC & Bill Faulkner CAUTHE PhD Workshop, Manly, February 2007: 50 STCRC PhD scholars were funded by STCRC to attend CAUTHE 2007. 29 STCRC scholars presented papers at CAUTHE 2007. The PhD workshop, offered to all STCRC scholars as well as all interested PhD scholars completing research in the tourism and hospitality field, was held at the International College of Management Sydney from Friday 9 February to Sunday 11 February 2007. Topics covered at this workshop included oral presentation with NIDA, focus group interviews, the use of photos in qualitative research, publication syndicates and small group facilitated research discussion. Click here to read full report.