Welsh cruise agency Cruise Nation welcomed the first three recruits from its new inhouse training academy last week as it also gained nationwide publicity in a Channel 4 TV show.
The telesales staff started their jobs last week at the Swansea‑based retailer after completing a six-week course.
Owner Phil Evans said the business set up the academy after failing to find enough applicants with the right skill sets. The training programme covers cruise lines, destinations, airlines, its booking system, and Clia agent training.
The next course will begin in May and already has 14 people signed up. Cruise Nation currently employs 70 staff at its call centre.
“We were finding it hard to recruit people with the right skills set so we decided to do something ourselves,” Evans said.
“We go through everything – cruise lines, destinations – it’s really in-depth. The basics are paramount, so if someone doesn’t have that knowledge, then we can pick it up at an early stage.”
The academy, which is run by team leader Adele Milner, will run three times a year.
“The people who work here have a fantastic skill set so it’s about using that where we can in the business,” Evans said.
Call centre manager Michelle Martin is giving talks at local colleges to promote the academy and the agency is in discussions about integrating the programme into curriculums.
The agency is hoping for a boost in job applicants after featuring in Channel 4’s The Job Interview last week. The show, which prompted web traffic to leap 125% when it aired, followed four candidates as they were interviewed for sales roles. Two were successful but later turned down the job offers.
Evans said the agency had already received several job enquiries since the show aired.
“It was a shame [the candidates] didn’t join us in the end, but the show got our name out there and promoted cruise,” Evans said.