The brainchild of original chief executive Jan Fitz-Gerald, Queenstown Resort College was established to address staffing depth issues within the tourism and hospitality workforce.
After she approached former University of Otago chancellor Sir Eion Edgar to back the initiative, the college opened in March 2006.
By the end of the year, QRC had 34 students studying for two-year diplomas in adventure tourism management and hospitality management, and 2010 brought the enrolment of 184 new students.
Chief executive Charlie Philips said the QRC team felt "really proud and satisfied" with the progress made and that demand for the courses was sufficient to warrant waiting lists.
"The most pleasing aspect is that our reputation has ultimately been driven by our students - the way they conduct themselves within the community, in the workforce and the careers they are carving out for themselves creates opportunity for future students," Mr Philips said.
Because staff played a huge role in the students' achievements, it was "immensely satisfying" to witness the results the students were achieving all over the world, and in Queenstown.
Mr Philips felt that QRC's "professional" learning approach was paramount to their success and made graduates a "well-rounded"option as employees.
"The professional learning is basically where we have three sorts of models of delivery.
There's the theory, then we have students going out on their internships, and the professionalism is that they come into school in their business attire. Hospitality students wear their suits, the adventure students wear their outdoor wear, and they are also marked on their punctuality and attendance, grooming standards and professional behaviour."
Although demand for places is still high, QRC now plans to "plateau out" student numbers and work with a student population of 300 to 350.
"This ... suits our campus size and halls of residence. The next steps are to consolidate two world-class diplomas and always look for ways to improve the student experience."
