This story is about a new program that’s getting local school children involved in the tourism industry.


LIV CASBEN: Well before the train arrives in Katherine, teacher Tim Alcorn runs through the day's program with his Year 12 students.

The group is working side-by-side with tourist operators as part of a unique program that's giving the students first-hand industry experience.

Soon after, the pupils are hard at work, meeting and greeting the passengers.

The visitors are shown where to buy to tickets and are guided onto buses -all components of this fledgling course.

TIM ALCORN: They're learning customer contact, This is part of the requirement with the VET Certificate II course, that they do the work requirement.

It's an integral part of their course, where they meet, greet and direct people and be a part of the tourism juggernaut or industry here in Katherine.

LIV CASBEN: The project is a joint operation with Travel North, which supplies buses to the local area and Katherine High School.

The students accompany up to 20 tourists at a time to their group's chosen destination -- in this case Katherine Gorge.

Off the bus and into the tourist information centre, but after initially being closely supervised, they're soon on their own and dealing with all the problems that go with it.

The next step for the students and the tourists is onto the boat for some wet-and-wild schooling.

The boat becomes the classroom.

Time for the students to take a back seat, to listen and learn.

MAN: Like I said, they're very shy and timid creatures, the freshie - basically he's more afraid of us than we are of him.

I don't think it would go through that much trouble to lose the weight to get up here, than to gain it again by eating tourists. ]]

SINEAD CHANDLER: I'd love to get into tourism, it's a great life, especially in the Territory.

People haven't seen things like this before, and, yeah, it's just a great way to meet new people. Feedback's been great.

A lot of people have said that in other towns -- like Darwin and Alice and Tennant Creek -- haven't had anyone to help them where to go and things like that.

Here they have just been so supportive towards us and understand and everything like that.

LIV CASBEN: After four hours in Katherine, passengers return to the train.

But before they go, the verdict on the students and their unique school assignment:

TRAVELLER 1: They've obviously got the knowledge and know what's going on and any friendly face that's going to meet and greet tourists is gonna to be a big improvement to bring them back, keep them here, let them know hat's going on.

TRAVELLER 2: And I found it very interesting, we also found out about what's happening in Katherine itself, like schooling and everything else, so, yeah, it was very interesting.