New travel qualifications proposed Samantha Mayling


Qualification-awarding bodies NCFE and Pearson have pledged to work with the industry and academics to create new travel and tourism qualifications for 16-19-year-olds. Representatives from the bodies


took part in a webinar with college lecturers to discuss issues facing the sector following the decision to defund Level 3 courses in England. An education and skills working


group, which met for the first time last month at Abta’s offices, also heard that there is an opportunity for new further-education courses in travel and tourism. Awarding body City & Guilds said in April it will scrap aviation,


travel and tourism courses from the end of this year to focus on a smaller number of sectors. David Rowley, product manager


in technical education at NCFE, who took part in the working group meeting and webinar, said: “We have an opportunity to create a fantastic technical education landscape for the travel and aviation industry.” He said the Department for


Education regarded A-levels as the route for those heading to university in the academic space, while T-levels prepare students for the workplace. However, there are alternatives to


A-levels, such as alternative academic qualifications, and occupational entry alternatives in the technical space. Rowley suggested a technical Level 3 course in travel could be


MSC boss hints at Explora expansion in new UK structure


Andrew McQuarrie


MSC Group’s UK boss has said a restructure unveiled this week will enable the company to grow, as he hinted at an expansion of Explora Journeys’ team. The group announced on Tuesday


it is to bring its soon-to-launch luxury line Explora Journeys into the same division as MSC Cruises in the UK and Ireland under managing director Antonio Paradiso. It said the move would “enhance


support to trade partners”, adding it would create “synergies which will


6 8 JUNE 2023


benefit the travel trade community”. Speaking to Travel Weekly on


board MSC Euribia ahead of the ship’s naming ceremony, Paradiso said the merger would attract new agents and encourage a greater number of existing agents to cross-sell the brands. “It will give us the opportunity


to have some of the agents who are already successfully selling the ‘Yacht Club’ [the exclusive staterooms on MSC ships] to start selling Explora, and also to have agents who are new to the MSC group,” he said. Explora Journeys will retain its


dedicated teams for sales, marketing,


We have an opportunity to create a fantastic technical education landscape for travel and aviation


created, covering knowledge that a travel consultant needs, such as world geography, sustainability and business. He said it could be called a


Level 3 technical operational entry diploma in travel. NCFE has invited college


lecturers to regional forums from June 12 to assess “a smorgasbord of what we can develop”. Rowley urged lecturers


Antonio Paradiso


to attend and “keep banging the drum for travel”. Courses will be submitted for


approval from July 2024, with students starting in September 2026, ensuring there is no gap in provision. Karen Donovan, senior product


manager at Pearson, told the webinar her company was “committed to this sector” and would offer travel and tourism as long as it was able to do so. “We are starting to consider what


the content will look like and how to future-proof that future skills environment,” she said, pointing to topics such as travel technology, including virtual and augmented reality, facial recognition and AI, as well as big data, sustainability, safety and hygiene.


contact centres and public relations. Paradiso, who will assume market


responsibility for Explora Journeys, added there would be “no changes” in personnel, other than the possible expansion of Explora’s team. “The main message is that I’ll


be in charge of both brands in the UK and Ireland, but we’ll have two different teams,” he said. “There’s the organisation we


already have in place for MSC Cruises and we already have an amazing team at Explora, especially in the sales field, so nothing is changing from that point of view.


“The only thing that is going to


happen in the coming weeks and months is that we may increase the current team at Explora.” Pierfrancesco Vago, executive


chairman of MSC Group’s cruise division, said the move demonstrated its commitment to the trade. “This [shows] how we aim to


develop further the relationship with the travel trade community,” he said. “This more simplified structure


will provide easier access for our trade partners, especially travel advisors, leading to mutual and rewarding benefits for all sides.”


travelweekly.co.uk


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