New blood joins the Irish Travel Industry

(Left to right, back to front): Pat Dawson (CEO, ITAA), Patrick Lynch (Adams & Butler), Lorcan Keegan (Premair Travel), Clare Dunne (MD, The Travel Broker & Course Tutor), Fionnuala Carter (Travel Professionals Skillnet Manager), Clare Bergin (Atlas Travel), Keave O’Donnell (Keave O’Donnell Mediation), Rosalba Lizio (USIT), Orla Timmons (Adams & Butler), Karen Higgins (Top Oil), Sinead Ryan (Sunway), Dale Twomey (Airliune Trainee), Kameliya Todorova (DIT Student) Suzanne Walsh (Just Split), Gianni Massa (Sardinian Dreams)

New blood joins the Irish Travel Industry

The team and trainees of the Travel Professionals Skillnet are once again celebrating the successful completion of the 2015 Travel Professionals Essential Skills Programme. This programme is run specifically for job seekers wishing to gain employment in the Irish travel sector and is delivered under the expert, watchful eye of Irish Travel Agents Association trainer, Clare Dunne (MD, The Travel Broker).

Fifteen delegates participated on 20 days training followed by 20 days work experience and all graduated with flying colours on the 10^th November last. The group were guided in their studies by industry experts in Travel Agency Skills, Product and Destination, Customer Service, Sales, Marketing, Global Distribution Systems, Travel Law and Insurance, Digital Media, Presentation Skills and Microsoft Office Skills. Having negotiated their way through a highly competitive recruitment process onto the programme, the energy, enthusiasm and unquestionable passion for the travel sector have proven to be the key ingredients brought to the course, seeing eleven of the group now either working or en route to high quality employment within the trade. Participants that have not continued into the sector have chosen variations of return to study and some are even setting up their own businesses.

For any person keen to enter the Travel Sector, the Travel Professionals Skillnet is an excellent route into the industry. The Travel Professionals Skillnet works closely with the Irish travel industry to source, develop and subsidise industry specific training. Details of the Travel Professionals Skillnet upcoming schedule, course content and bookings for the remainder of 2015 are available at www.travelprofessionalsskillnet.eventbrite.ie. There are a limited number of places retained on all courses for job seekers to participate at no cost. This is a sector that is currently recruiting. If you would like to find out more about the work of the Travel Professionals Skillnet and possible opportunities, please contact fionnuala.carter@itaa.ie.

The Travel Professionals Skillnet and the Irish Travel Agents Association are really proud to introduce the newest recruits to the Irish travel sector and wish them all the best in the bright careers that they are succeeding in carving out for the future.