NATAS has signed an MoU with leading GDSs such as Amadeus, Abacus and Galileo by Travelport to kick-start a new corporate ticketing consultant development scheme run by the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS).
Targeted at school leavers considering a career as a corporate ticketing consultant, the programme forms part of the NATAS Industry Accreditation initiative, which is slated for launch sometime later this year.
During the inaugural session, around 20 individuals will be introduced to the basics of operating Amadeus’ corporate reservation system, through a series of classroom training and scenario-based practicum sessions utilising live GDS data. Participants will be given a monthly stipend of about S$1,500 (US$1,190). Subsequent courses will expose trainees to the reservation systems offered by other GDSs.
Robert Khoo, CEO of NATAS said: “Currently, (travel) consultancies dedicate very little time to formal training for new staff members, as managers are often bogged down by day-to-day operations. This new course ensures that recruits hit the ground running, saving firms both time and money. With this new programme, we hope to fulfill the demand for (travel industy) professionals, and to pave the way for future development in professional training for the industry.”
Singapore nationals and permanent residents who undertake the training will have up to 90 per cent of their course fees subsidised by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. Newly qualified corporate ticketing consultants are expected to serve a bond.
Some 19 travel consultancies including American Lloyd Travel Services, Fortune Travel, Mandarin Tour, Pinnacle Travel Services, STA Travel, Sunny Holidays and Thoha Travels and Tours have signed up for the programme so far.
TMIS and NATAS are looking to train up to 60 corporate ticketing consultants before year-end. If demand is high, the programme will be reintroduced in 2013.
