An emerging travel agent-led training platform is taking it upon itself to ease the staff shortage plaguing the industry and earning wider backing from the trade.
A 20-year veteran of the travel industry, Marissa Papas, is the Director of Connected Travel and the Connected Travel Training Academy, a full-service agency that is now ramping up its own in-house training structure which imparts real skills and techniques needed by agents.
Papas originally founded the academy in 2019 but put it on ice during the pandemic.
Now reactivated, the Connected Training Academy works with Cornerstone People Solutions to deliver the fully accredited Certificate IV in Travel and Tourism before graduates move into one of two intensive three-month courses run by Connected.
These courses focus specifically on real-world everyday skills such as Sabre and Tramada training, customer service, business operations and personal marketing.
Connected’s intention is to equip new industry entrants eager to gain work for an established retail brand with the skills needed to hit the ground running from day one, or for existing agents to start their own home-based business.
Describing herself as “a big dreamer with a big vision”, Papas told travelBulletin the Connected Training Academy is attracting both school-leavers and parents returning to the workforce.
“People are trying to come in with no experience – how dare they come in with no experience,” Papas stressed.
“There is no way that a travel agent can go to TAFE and do a Certificate IV in travel, or Certificate III in travel, and then be ready to be hired and straight away start selling in an agency.
“Or those people that finish their certificate think they can open up a travel agency at home and fail to realise all the practical skills that go with it too.”
The Connected Travel Training Academy is now being recognised by the industry itself and has been named as a finalist in two categories at the 2024 NTIA Gala.
Papas’ longer-term vision involves expanding the Connected Travel Training Academy to New Zealand and the US as a global solution to staffing challenges caused by unqualified and inexperienced workers.
Enrolments are now open for Connected’s Oct 2024 intake – CLICK HERE for more details.
