New apprenticeship scheme launched for Advantage members

Advantage is launching a new apprenticeship scheme for members in partnership with TrainingStation for leisure travel consultants and Travilearn for business travel agencies.

It said the initiative, which will be available to members in England from June, has been introduced following member feedback.

It will help members to find an apprentice and will pair them with a tailored qualification programme that combines one-to-one coaching with self-study online learning modules.

The scheme will have two key qualifications that members’ new or existing staff can achieve: Travel Consultant Standard from TrainingStation and Pathway to Business Travel Professional from Travilearn.

The leisure travel scheme is available immediately in England and Wales, while Advantage plans to consult with members to get feedback on what they require of the business travel scheme, which will launch ‘at the back end of the summer’.

Advantage global product director Neil Armorgie said: "This initiative is the first of its kind in business travel and follows membership demand for quality staff and training. The solution with Travilearn will allow a tailored approach that will suit our members’ needs. This follows on perfectly from the e-learning solutions we launched in November 2018."

He said there had been a ‘shrinking pool of talent’ across both leisure and business travel industries over the past couple of years, despite the government setting aside £2 billion a year from a levy on companies for all industries to access for apprentices.

Companies that are required to pay the government levy for training can access the funding for free, while those who don’t are required only to pay a small amount towards the cost of training apprentices. The funding can also be used for existing staff, but a large chunk of it goes unclaimed, said Advantage.

Traveliearn MD Karen McKenna said companies were struggling to attract staff with the right skills set. "Those already in the industry also need to have the type of training that provides them with the knowledge for career advancement and personal development. We have created this new apprenticeship program in partnership with Skills Training UK, one of the biggest providers of apprenticeship courses in the country, so that learners can have access to structured and certified business travel training through the Government Levy Programme."

Advantage group commercial and membership director Paula Lacey added: "We are very excited to be working with these partners on this new training scheme. We felt that TrainingStation and Travilearn were the best fit for quality, as well as their understanding of the needs of our members.

"The leisure and business travel industry are exciting industries to work in and we are passionate about helping our members find, train and retain the next stars of these travel sectors."

TrainingStation director Andrea Fielding said: "TrainingStation is excited to be working in partnership with Advantage to offer its members the Travel Consultant Standard Apprenticeship. TrainingStation is an avid supporter of the travel industry and know how important it is to invest in staff training and development."