A CHANCE meeting of the minds five years ago has opened the door at Queensland’s newest education campus and provided a career pathway for students into a booming industry.

Education industry leader Cristine Russell, Managing Director and Founder of GeSS Education and Rhona McKay, Chief Executive Officer of Massage Schools of Queensland have partnered in a Queensland first to offer students a packaged program of Massage Therapy and Practice Management over a 2-year period consisting of a 4-month internship. With the massage therapy being delivered at Massage Schools of Queensland’s Burleigh Heads School for 6 months and the remaining 18 months delivered at GeSS Education’s new campus at Australia Fair, students will have the best of both worlds – north and south of the Gold Coast.

“We are delighted and extremely proud to partner with Massage Schools of Queensland. Their expertise in massage therapy training is second to none,” said Ms Russell. “While Practice Management will give students the skills to work in a medical centre or in a health administration role; the skills provided in the massage course will give them invaluable medical background information such as physiology and anatomy that will give our graduates that upper edge when looking for employment.”

Launched three decades ago, Massage Schools of Queensland is widely regarded as Australia’s premier massage therapy school and Ms McKay said she was extremely excited to partner with GeSS Education.

“I love all things about massage therapy and all modalities of it. But I especially enjoy watching a student from overseas or locally fulfil their dreams and to watch their professional development is so rewarding,” said Ms McKay.

“Official Seek.com statistics prove employment of massage therapists is projected to grow 20.2 per cent in the next four years to 2023, much faster than the average for all occupations” Ms Russell said “Coupled with the job growth boosted by community services and healthcare, the combination of massage therapy skills and practice management makes for a great opportunity for students.”

“This is such an exciting development and it is a wonderful opportunity for domestic and international students to earn qualifications in such a growth sector,” Ms McKay said.

Both Ms Russell and Ms McKay are looking forward to expanding Massage School of Qld’s offering to give students the opportunity of studying and experiencing the unique attributes of both the southern and northern ends of the Gold Coast.