Training firm steps in for apprentices Juliet Dennis


A specialist training provider is in talks with employers in the sector to help apprentices affected by the closure of a travel consultant course. AS Training has been contacted by


travel companies following Northern Training Academy’s (NTA) loss of its contract to continue its travel consultant Level 3 apprenticeship course, impacting 30 travel apprentices from agencies nationwide. AS Training director Michelle Van


Sprang said: “We have been working with employers and guiding those who need help with their apprentices to allow them to continue their [learning] journey.” She added: “The employer


chooses which training provider


their apprentices use. I have already been contacted by some.” How far through the course


students are and the availability of government funds are factors that will determine how many NTA apprentices AS Training can take on. Funding for courses and exams is


provided direct by the Department for Education to training providers. Van Sprang said: “We will


endeavour to help people as quickly as we possibly can. We will have to look at each case individually, but we have already started working with the employers who have apprentices.” AS Training was already


expecting its intake of apprentices to expand this year after becoming a recommended provider for Jet2’s new Appoint An Apprentice scheme.


Trade praises line for handling of Sun Princess delay


Josie Klein


The trade has praised Princess Cruises for the way it handled the cancellation of the inaugural sailing on Sun Princess, but warned the delay has caused concern among agents with passengers booked on future cruises. In a joint statement, Princess


Cruises and shipbuilder Fincantieri confirmed the mutually agreed delay and the cancellation of the 10-day inaugural cruise, which was due to depart from Barcelona on February 8. Princess Cruises declined to comment further and would not


6 1 FEBRUARY 2024


confirm whether the ship’s sold-out second sailing, which is scheduled to depart from Rome on February 18, will go ahead as planned. The trade commended the


line’s communication about the cancellation with agents, praising Princess Cruises’ decision to honour commission. Alison Earnshaw, Cruise118 managing director, described the move as a “big deal”, adding: “Not all lines always do so. “We did have some bookings on


the sailing, but [Princess] kept us informed at quite an early stage, which has helped us with the management of those guests.”


We will look at each case individually. We have started working with the employers who have apprentices


It currently anticipates it will have


150 to 200 apprentices this year as a result of working closely with Jet2 and through its partnerships with The Advantage Travel Partnership and Atas. About half the places are expected


to be filled by Jet2’s scheme, in which the airline and operator is offering leftover Apprenticeship Levy funding to agencies to pay for apprentices in a bid to bring new talent into the sector.


Sun Princess Van Sprang noted: “We are going


to have our largest intake this year. Our goal is to hit the 200 mark.” On AS Training’s courses,


apprentices receive specialist training from travel companies via webinars, talks and interactive events. Van Sprang is hopeful next week’s


National Apprenticeship Week will encourage more firms to take on apprentices and counter any negative perceptions about the sector. She said: “Some employers have


not always found apprenticeships a slick experience historically. We try to get rid of any negative perceptions and tell them how easy it is. “We are very optimistic [about


training in the sector]. The main message is people [apprentices] do have another route to go down.”


Phil Nuttall, chief executive of


Travel Village Group, said Princess Cruises had been “brilliant as always”, and emphasised the support agents had received from the line. “Princess does look after its agent


partners and once again they have protected commissions,” he said. “Things happen, unfortunately,


and it’s about how you deal with it, and Princess is very good at this.” However, Fred Olsen Travel retail


director Paul Hardwick warned the cancellation had caused “concern” among agents as Princess Cruises had not provided any updates on whether further departures would be affected.


He said there was generally “more


worry now” about cancellations than in the past, as a number of cruise lines had been forced to delay inaugural sailings in recent years, which he warned could negatively impact the reputation of the industry. Asked if customers might stop


booking maiden voyages for fear of cancellation, Hardwick said: “Inaugural sailings are still really popular as customers like to say they were the first people to sail on the ship. But there is an intrinsic value to looking forward to your holiday, so when there is a fear of it being cancelled, this affects that value.”


travelweekly.co.uk


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