Print version Recommend this page Press release
13/ 2011
Bonn, 17.03.2011
Holidays on Mallorca - Business trips in Frankfurt: Training for tourism agents updated
The fast growth seen in the tourism industry is also having an effect on the qualifications be-ing required by enterprises in the tourism sector such as travel agencies, tour operators and business trip services. People working in the tourism industry must be especially competent and flexible in responding to fast-changing customer wishes and the sector's fast-changing demands. This is particularly the case in the business trip segment which has grown steadily in recent years. For this reason, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) has updated the training regulations for the occupation Travel Agent which have been in effect since 2005. This was done on behalf of the Federal Government and in conjunction with the social partners and representatives of Germany's federal states. Starting 1 August 2011, young people with an interest in designing and organising travel products and providing quality consultation services will have available to them a modern training option with good prospects for the future. The official designation for this occupation will then be Tourismuskaufmann (Kaufmann für Privat- und Geschäftsreisen) / Tourismuskauffrau (Kauffrau für Privat- und Geschäftsreisen) [tourism agent (agent for private and business travel)].
Not only was a new segment for business trip management added when the training regula-tions for this occupation were updated. Other important aspects of the update are greater attention to customer-orientedness, customer loyalty and marketing plus the inclusion of elective and supplementary qualifications in the new training regulations.
The new elective qualifications include travel intermediation, travel organisation and business travel. With the inclusion of elective and supplementary qualifications, the previous training segments travel organisation, travel intermediation (tourism) and travel intermediation (trans-port) were dropped and are now offered as three separate six-month programmes that lead to elective qualifications. These three programmes cover the skill requirements for the three newly-defined core areas of activity for future tourism agents.
Elective qualifications which a trainee does not choose can subsequently be earned as sup-plementary qualifications. Trainees can thus acquire skills and qualifications during their regular period of training which go beyond the training content stipulated by the new training regulations. Supplementary qualifications are subject to a separate examination and are listed on the individual's certificate. This option consequently targets particularly high-achieving trainees.
A total of 1,960 new training contracts were signed for the occupation travel agent in 2010, an increase of 3.4 per cent over the year 2009 which had seen a decline of 23 per cent over 2008. Some 85 per cent of the training contracts were signed with female trainees. Approxi-mately 92 per cent of the trainees who sat the final examination for this occupation in 2009 passed it.
Further information is available in German at www.bibb.de/tourismuskaufleute
Point of contact at BIBB: Miriam Conis Mpangara, E-mail: mpangara@bibb.de
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