Duylap Tran

Australian Company Offers International Tourism Student a Remote Internship

Despite border closures amid the global Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, ICMS international tourism student Duy (Jarvis) Lap Tran was able to secure an Australian internship and work remotely from his home in Vietnam.

Jarvis, a third year ICMS Bachelor of Business (International Tourism) student, was so inspired by his Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placement at Travengers AU Company that he wants to start up a similar Autism Travel agency in his home country in the future.

In the meantime, while he may have started his internship abroad, when he was able to return to campus at ICMS in Australia last year, he has continued to intern at Travengers AU Company while based in Sydney.

Going the distance for work experience

WIL is incorporated into every degree and course at ICMS, meaning that every student gains valuablework experience while studying at the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS), located in Northern Beaches, Sydney, NSW, and in the city of Sydney, Australia.

When international borders closed and Jarvis had to return to Vietnam, it didn’t mean that he had to miss out on an Australian internship. He was able to continue with his studies online, and even complete his internship remotely.

“During the recent pandemic, ICMS always supported and advised me on my study plan during this difficult time. I really feel grateful and appreciate that,” Jarvis said.

“When the Covid pandemic broke out, I had to return to Vietnam and when it was time for industry training, ICMS introduced me to the Travengers company, asking them if it was possible to work remotely from Vietnam. ICMS was always willing to work with businesses to create conditions for me to do the internship even though I couldn’t return to Australia because of Covid-19 restrictions.”

Industry experience serves as inspiration for Jarvis

ICMS partner Travengers AU Company is an Australian tourism company that focuses on supporting neurodivergent young adults (age 15-35). Despite working remotely, Jarvis enjoyed a successful international tourism internship with Travengers, and is so inspired by their travel model that he would like, in future, to bring the Autism Travel model to his home country.

“I got to know Travengers during my internship and I think this experience has helped me to develop myself a lot. In this company, I have worked with many people who have guided me a lot and helped me understand more about the industry. I feel that after my internship at Travengers, I can develop myself a lot, and gain more knowledge and practical experience, which will be the key to my career in the future,” Jarvis said.

“Autism Travel is the type of tourism that Travengers is operating. I was impressed because this is a tourism model that has never appeared in my country. My dream would be to create more opportunities for tourism experience for groups of Autism people in Vietnam.”

Travengers focuses on supported youth travel to enable neurodivergent individuals to explore Australia and beyond as tourists, catering to their specific needs.

Examples include noise-cancelling headphones and one on one support. As an intern, Jarvis supported the Travengers marketing department and assisted with tour designs.

Neurodivergence is the term for when someone’s brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently from what is considered “typical”. Examples of neurodivergence include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder among other conditions.*

Reflections and the way forward

Jarvis graduates in November this year and has no regrets about choosing to study in Australia at ICMS, despite the obstacles that Covid-19 threw in his path.

“When deciding to study in Australia, there were many factors that made up my decision to choose a school. And, after researching carefully, I decided to choose the school that has a major that suits my interests best, which is about the tourism. Besides, I also regard that ICMS will create maximum conditions for students to have the opportunity to gain practical experience through the industry training program. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to choose ICMS and I have never regretted my decision,” he said.

“My time studying at ICMS was really memorable and meaningful to me. Here, I really opened up, and also learned a lot of knowledge about my field of study. Not only that, with the internship program, I also had many opportunities to help me apply academic theory to real-life work situations.”

As Jarvis finishes up his ICMS Bachelor of Business (International Tourism), he is excited about what the future holds.

“I really appreciate that ICMS has always supported me to the fullest, especially during a time of the global pandemic. ICMS has helped me pursue my passion, as well as helped me build a career associated with my field of study. I will never forget my time here.”

For more information on the ICMS Bachelor of Business (International Tourism), click here.