Creating a brand from scratch and convincing people Queenstown could be a serious study destination has been hard work for the Queenstown Resort College, which has come a long way from having 34 students on the roll in its first year in 2006.
The college has about 350 students - a mix of new students from four intakes a year and returning students on two-year courses. Staff visit more than 250 schools each year to recruit hospitality and adventure tourism management students.
Chief executive Charlie Phillips came on board a year after the college opened and said growth had been constant, though ''as a college, we are probably at our limit in terms of how big we want to grow''.
Mr Phillips said ''for years people just thought we were a language school ... that's what people associate with Queenstown''.
''We have a reputation as a tourist town and while that will always dominate, there is room for other sectors and education is one of them.''
Gaining credibility locally and nationally was achieved through ''connecting with the community ... just because we wear suits doesn't mean we have to be stuffy and starchy''.
And now, with so many graduates now in the workforce, they ''act as ambassadors'' and graduates were now interviewing students for jobs and were within touching distance of the top managerial roles.
He said as an institution, the main focus was to get graduates into employment, which 83% of them did, while 14% went on to further study, with the intention of completing a degree as well as a diploma.
Students were marked on their professionalism - including how they presented themselves - and he said what they were equipped with upon graduating was a competitive advantage.
The college recently received awards for New Zealand Tertiary Provider of the Year 2012 from the New Zealand Association of Private Education Providers and the Supreme Business Award 2012 from the Queenstown Business Excellence Awards.
Mr Phillips said the college's success story was not as tangible four years ago.
''All these things take time and you can feel comfortable about saying this now [but] where we sit now was only a dream four-years ago.''
''There was a big commitment from the shareholders in the first few years.''
The majority of students came from outside Queenstown; 78% of students domestic and 22% international.
''The growth could have been quicker had we gone for internationals,'' he said, but a key success feature had been the number of New Zealanders enrolling.
''The tourism industry wants to employ Kiwis.''
With the addition of the halls of residence in Fernhill, he said, the college had ''the ability to have the real university feel'', while easing students out of their family homes.
In line with the constantly evolving tourism and hospitality industry, the college's courses were under review, and advisory boards would advise on current trends.
Queenstown Resort College's brand called Better Business, which aimed to improve business from executive level through to frontline staff, had been well received.
