The variety of travel and tourism related courses has expanded rapidly in the past few years, mirroring the growth in Ireland's tourism industry. You can now choose from qualifications at Post Leaving Certificate, certificate, diploma and degree level.
Mary O'Rawe, course tutor on DIT's two-year travel and tourism certificate (which includes the IATA/UFTAA standard and advanced exams), advises students to take a good, hard look at the subjects offered in each course. DIT's course has a strong business emphasis including subjects such as marketing, accounting, statistics and law.
"Second-level students have a perception that the travel business is very glamorous and they don't need to be good at business subjects. They get a shock when they come on to the course.
"To be good in the industry it's not enough to have a knowledge of geography and a good personality. The industry is becoming increasingly professionalised."
In the past, graduates of the course largely found work in travel agencies. Employment opportunities have expanded, says Rawe, to include both incoming and outbound tour operators as well as posts in heritage sites, airlines and reservation companies. Students may also proceed to further study.
The initial salary in travel agencies is very disappointing, says O'Rawe, with some graduates starting out on salaries as low as £5,500. There is a large dropout rate, but those who stick with the industry for a few years can do very well financially. Airlines and teleservices companies tend to offer better starting salaries.
From PLC level, there are also plenty of employment prospects - with the same caveat. Theresa Ryan, course tutor for the one-year travel and tourism course at Colaiste Ide, Finglas, Dublin, says there is a very high uptake of students by Aer Lingus and Ryan Air. In fact, the uptake of students is such that it is a double-edged sword when it comes to recruiting students for the one-year advanced course that the college offers to graduates of the standard course.
There is a further option, after second year, to continue to HND-level in travel and tourism in Buckinghamshire and from there to proceed to the BA degree in travel and tourism. To date, no one has availed of this link, Ryan says.
There are usually some 100 places on the standard IATA/UFTAA diploma course (ordinary-level Leaving Cert maths required). This year, Colaiste Ide is also offering a travel agency certificate. This will be open to students with foundation-level maths.
There will probably be 25 places and students will spend three days a week in college and two days on work experience. If you are interested, you should apply now as the college has already held three interview days.
A new travel-agency-skills course has been developed by CERT in conjunction with the Irish Travel Agents' Association. This one-year certificate programme will be offered on a pilot basis by Tallaght IT this year and, possibly, by Galway-Mayo IT. The qualification will be awarded by the National Tourism Certification Board.
The programme will give students a "broad background knowledge of the component parts of the travel industry as well as understanding of communications, customer care, product knowledge and legal issues". Trainees will spend 33 weeks in college (some 654 hours) and 420 hours in work experience in industry.
If you are interested in obtaining a place on one of the pilot programmes, then you may wish to attend walk-in interviews from 10 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday, May 24th and 25th, in the Great Southern Hotel, Eyre Square, Galway; and Thursday and Friday, May 27th and 28th, in CERT House, Amiens Street, Dublin. It is anticipated that there will be 20 places on each course.
You must be at least 18 years of age by December 31st and have a grade D or higher in five subjects including English, maths and preferably geography or NCVA level 2 standard of information. For further information contact CERT (tel: (01) 855 6555).
