EVERYyear tour operators are inundated with applications from people hoping to land a job as holiday representative.
Personnel officers spend hours sifting through CVs to whittle them down to a manageable shortlist. It can be a mammoth task.
Airtours recruitment co-ordinator Carol Riley said: “Our recruitment year started in October. Since then we have had 13,000 enquiries. Of those about 25% were returned applications. We invited 2,500 for an interview and made 650 job offers so far.”
However, all that could soon change – for Airtours at least – thanks to an initiative between the tour operator and the further education sector.
In a bid to ease the recruitment burden, Airtours has forged links with six UK colleges, all of which run the BTEC course in Overseas Resort Operations.
The qualification has been available for several years but this is the first time it has had the official support of a tour operator.
The course, which is split into four modules (see box), is about resort operations in general but Airtours has worked with course directors to ensure that students are taught how each topic relates specifically to Airtours.
“Students learn about the administration involved in overseas repping for example, but we have supplied our own forms so they are able to practice on real-life material,” said Riley.
She added: “By working with colleges we ensure students have a more realistic impression of what it is like to work for us abroad. In effect it enables us to grow our own people.”
The students benefit by being guaranteed an interview with Airtours at the end of their course. “We want this to be a way of getting a job for us,” said Riley.
The partnership certainly seems to be working. Airtours is in the process of recruiting 75 candidates who achieved the qualification between September 1998 and February 1999 this year and has plans to take on 200 next spring when more colleges introduce the course this September.
Courses run between September and February to coincide with overseas recruitment schedule but there is a fast track option, lasting just four weeks. However, Riley prefers candidates who have taken the longer route. “It shows they are more motivated,” she said.
The calibre of students has been excellent, according to Riley, who envisages a time when most of the company’s annual intake of overseas reps will be sourced directly from colleges – saving the company thousands in recruitment and training costs.
“We currently run a six-day residential course but the BTEC covers everything so we will be able to cut back on the training we provide before reps go abroad,” said Riley.
She also believes the partnership will help improve retention rates in resort because reps will be better prepared for the job and therefore less likely to be disappointed. “Our staff turnover among reps is about 3% which is low but when you’ve got 1,000 reps working over six months it does have an impact,” she said.
BTECin Overseas Resort Operation
Candidates have a choice of two courses:
l Resort representative.
l Children’s courier.
Course content -Êfour modules:
l Industry – structure of the market, legislation, health and safety, ABTAcode and how brochures are put together.
l The work environment – students learn about working abroad, career paths and what is expected of them.
l Customer service – problem solving, welcome meetings, airport transfers, customer expectations, guiding.
l Administration – how to handle administrative tasks and complete forms.
Cost:
ú60 – ú130 depending on the college.
Colleges operating the course:
l Llandrillo, North Wales.
l Henley, Coventry.
l North Lincolnshire, Lincoln.
l Barry, South Wales.
l New College, Nottingham.
l Dearn Valley, Rotherham.