| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 21/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 8 |
| Copyright: Other |
Analysis
Can young ones cut the mustard when real experience is needed?
The industry is divided over the abilities of young counter staff, reports Jane Archer
YOUNG travel agents are up in arms over comments made by Bakers Dolphin managing director Kevin Abbey about the value of 18-year-olds in the retail sector.In a quote that was destined to raise hackles, Abbey questioned the value to a client of an 18-year-old who hasn’t travelled to any real degree and knows less about the product than the customer (Travel Weekly July 31).
But most retailers argue that a teenager is only worth what the employer invests in them and that it’s a delicate balance of effective recruitment and training that helps an 18-year-old become an experienced and valuable consultant in their mid-20s.
“Is Mr Abbey saying that his company is prejudiced against age?” asked irate Going Places manager Zoe Scott, who entered the industry at 17 and is now in her 20s.
“How is the industry going to survive if we do not give younger people the opportunity to learn?”
Going Places Leeds manager Debra Siddle said some of her youngest agents are among the agency’s best sales staff.
Abbey is unrepentant. “Travel experience is extremely important for agents but how much travelling can an 18-year-old have actually done?” he said.
“In future, clients will be going into a travel agent for specialist help. If that help is coming from an 18-year-old who has not travelled, what value will it be?”
Despite Abbey’s comments, Bakers Dolphin has just recruited 50 trainees from the 18-22-year-old age group as part of an annual intake.”When they first start at 18, they do not add value,” Abbey said.
Advantage sales and marketing director Colin O’Neill sympathises. “We sell a lot of high-value tailor-made holidays that can be very complex and where the agent’s experience is important to the customer.”
ABTA head of policy and member services Stephen Alcock added that, as the public becomes more sophisticated through travelling more, agents need to match that expertise.
“But if a customer does know more, there are ways of coming across in a professional manner to deal with that.”
TTC Training managing director Barry Butler said Abbey’s comments raise important questions about the training offered to young entrants.
“Age is incidental to product knowledge; it doesn’t matter if an agent is 18 or 50,” he said.
“What is important is that 18-year-olds are given adequate training. Unfortunately, while there are some shining beacons, the travel industry as a whole does not give its people enough training opportunities.”
ARTAC chairman Colin Heal said: “Training is vital and it is the responsibility of employers to offer both on-the-job product training and exterior skills courses.
There are several agency-operated training schemes for young people who want to enter the industry, as well as TTC Training’s own scheme (see box, left).
St Andrews Travel has a training scheme for 16-year-olds but only those who could have stayed on for A levels will be considered.
At the end of the day, employers admit that mature entrants are easier to train as they have people skills.
Some argue that in the age of PCs, youngsters are less equipped with communication skills than the previous generations.
St Andrews Travel owner Andrew Dickson said: “Mature entrants have no brochure or viewdata skills but they do have the life skills and they have probably been on holiday a lot so they will have travelled.”
“It takes time to build up that kind of knowledge.”
Concerned: Abbey, above, and Butler
All too much: can young agents digest the necessary information?
quotes
“The introduction of management fees has meant that clients expect a higher standard of customer service and professionalism.”
Alexandra Webb, personnel and training manager, Ayscough Travel
“Young people spend so much time on PCs that they have no time to develop conversation and social interaction skills.”
Barry Butler, managing director, TTC Training
“It is absurd to say that we should not take on 18-year-olds until they have travelled the world.”
Colin Heal, chairman, ARTAC
Youth training
TTCTraining’s Travel Training Programme is a modern apprenticeship scheme aimed at young people aged 16-18. In their first year, agents work towards National Vocational Qualification level two, which covers package holidays, car rental, travel insurance, geography and basic legal requirements. Level three goes into more depth on long-haul travel, sophisticated selling techniques, including how to tailor-make a holiday and more specialist holidays such as cruising.
Learning zone: agents on an educational