Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tourism offers a huge variety of training and education
opportunities for anybody working, or hoping to
work, in the sector. It is sometimes diffi cult to make a
choice from all the training schemes, qualifi cations and
training providers on offer, but the following sections
of this unit will throw a little more light on the subject
and help you decide what may be best for you.
FOCUS ON INDUSTRY
ACCREDITED TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL (ATP)
SCHEME
ATP has been created by ABTA, in association with
People 1st (the Sector Skills Council for travel and
tourism) and the Institute of Travel and Tourism.
The aim is to recognise the skills, experience and
qualifi cations of those who work in the UK travel
industry and encourage continuous professional
development (CPD)
Training
Unlike education, which takes a broad view of a variety
of subjects, training refers to developing very specifi c
skills, e.g. customer service, selling or IT. Training
opportunities in travel and tourism can be either on-
the-job or off-the-job, or a combination of the two.
The ATP scheme has three levels of membership -
Bronze, Silver and Gold. The level of membership
available to people working in the travel industry
depends on their qualifi cations and experience:
As its name implies, on-the-job training is when
employees gain and develop their work skills and
knowledge while carrying out their everyday work
duties. Many jobs in travel and tourism are ideally
suited to this type of 'hands on' training, for example
developing selling skills in a travel agency, operating
a computer reservation system in a tour operator,
training to be a chef in a restaurant or working behind
the counter in a tourist information centre. On-the-
job training can lead to qualifi cations such as National
Vocational Qualifi cations (NVQs) and SVQs in Scotland.
On-the-job training is popular with smaller travel and
tourism companies which fi nd it diffi cult to manage if
staff have to take time off to attend training sessions
away from the offi ce.
•
Bronze - one year's industry experience with an
NVQ qualifi cation at level 2/Apprenticeship, or
two years' experience and relevant qualifi cations;
•
Silver - four years' industry experience and
relevant qualifi cations;
•
Gold - seven years' industry experience and
relevant qualifi cations.
ATP is a scheme to recognise continuous professional
development (CPD), so staff who join up need to
demonstrate which activities they've undertaken to
improve their levels of skill and knowledge. Each
year a member needs to gain 20 CPD points to
continue their membership. CPD points are awarded
for a variety of activities, such as in-house training,
attending seminars, exhibitions and conventions,
distance and e-learning, and completing recognised
formal qualifi cations. Staff in high level positions
can claim for management training courses, making
presentations, serving on committees and attending
industry conferences.
Training that takes place away from the normal
workplace - off-the-job training - is sometimes preferred
by staff and employers as a way of achieving a specifi c
training objective. Training in global distribution
systems (GDS) such as Amadeus, Galileo and Sabre, is
often carried out using this method. Some travel and
tourism organisations send their staff on day-release
courses offered by local colleges and other training
providers or encourage their employees to enrol for
evening classes or study by distance learning. Senior
staff in travel and tourism are encouraged to work
towards management and supervisory qualifi cations,
either by attending a course or following a distance
learning programme based around home/offi ce study
and tutorial support.
Currently, the annual subscription for ATP
membership is £25, which can be offset by the many
discounts available to members of the scheme.
Weblink
Check out this website for more
information on the ATP Scheme.
www.travelprofessional.co.uk
