Title: Training for Tourism Staff on the Client Related Approach Project type: Leonardo da Vinci - pilot project Ref. no.: RO/99/2/07096/PI/II.1.1.b./FPC Duration: 2 years Actual stage: finalised, with the Final Report approved by the European Commission Total value of the Contract: 207000 Euros Total value for the University of Pitesti: 13000 Euros
General context Romania passes a period of changes that affect all the dimensions of the society. The efforts of integration to the European Union add the necessity of adapting training methodology to the EU standards. EU member states face technology changes and economic stress that involve continuous improvement of the training methodology. As a major industry, tourism must be observed in the developments of training - tourism is also a mirror of general development of human civilisation. Identified needs • the creation of an up to date system of continuing training of tourism personnel at European standards • to train the tourism agents as client oriented sellers • to develop educator qualities to the staff in tourism As these needs involve quality improvement, all the partners are interested in this type of training methodology. Goals • identify a common methodology to respond the new quality requirements • develop training modules in that spirit, together with introducing the European dimension in the curriculum • create up to date learning material, on European standards but adapted to the cultural features of the trainees • train trainers able to apply the new methodology and work with the new learning material • experiment the common methodology • create material for the general public promoting the new approach Expected impact • improvement of the continuing training system in Romania • influencing mentalities of the tourism agent in order to become an educator • integration of the European standards in occupational training in Romania • contribution to a common approach at transnational level to cope with the new challenges of the evolution on the travel market. Beneficiaries • 40 travel agents included in the project • 5 trainers trained in the project • training institutions in tourism – training managers, training experts • users of Travel agent’s work guide • indirect beneficiaries: customers, training institutions with programs for sellers or staff working directly with public, training institutions and SMEs that can use project's products, directly or adapting them to the national context, VET professionals, European scientific community. Content - action plan 1. Needs analysis and definition of a common training strategy 2. Creation of the training modules and learning materials 3. Application 4. Evaluation and production of the products 5. Dissemination activities and final evaluation of the project Partnership Institute for Sciences of Education - Bucharest - Romania is a research institution, with a good experience in development in VET field and trainers training that can bring the main contribution in the definition of the general context and the scientific approach of the common methodology, and evaluate the results. It represents also the mediator between the other partners: Romanian and international, University and continuous training institutions, specialists in training and producers of learning materials; offer and demand of training products & services. Escuela de Turismo - Valladolid - Spain and ERGONPLAN S.A. - Athens - Greece will share their experience concerning inservice training in tourism with Romanian partners and will contribute to the curriculum development and the trainers training programme. ERGONPLAN and Tallents Press Ltd. - Buckingam - UK will use their expertise in open learning materials for vocational qualifications related training at European standards together with Romanian partners, completing with the necessary cultural approach. Although both companies have not collaborated with any of the partners previously, the expertise they can provide (in open learning materials development, the development of vocational qualifications of the tourism industry, and ways of linking the two in Greece and UK) complement the skills and interests of the other participants. This will enable the project to fulfil its aims and objectives in the most effective manner possible. Using an undertaking Romanian specialised institution would be advisable. University of Pitesti - Romania is a university that can participate also in all the activities, especially in the definition of the general context and in evaluation, together with the training programme of trainers as trainers; having the general high education approach, it will ensure a high quality of the results. UP can contribute to further developments in training activity at local level, having in its framework a Continuing Training Center, the tourism potential of the region is great and it is not properly exploited and for dissemination to its Est European partners from other programmes. The two Scholar Groups, GS Calimanesti and GS Piatra Neamt from Romania are specialists in representative training fields and have experience in adults education. BRM Travel&Trade and Interbusiness Travel from Romania represent the beneficiary approach, their participation being very important to the definition of the project strategy. Outcomes – dissemination policy • training modules in Spanish, Greek, Romanian and English • learning material for independent learning in Greek, Romanian and English • travel agent's work guide in Romanian • dissemination material for VET specialists and general public in Spanish, Greek, French Romanian and English Products will continue to be used by Romanian training and research institutions included in the project. All institutions involved in the project will use the professional meetings, national and international conferences or seminars to disseminate the project's experience and results. Dissemination material for general public will be disseminate by various means, especially by the travel agents included in the project within their day-to-day activity and by interested Internet providers and mass media representatives in the different countries involved, tourism being a subject of general interest. Evaluation All the trainers and the trainees trained in the project will be evaluated by University of Pitesti. Each phase will be evaluated by all the partners. A report will be established with the contribution of all partners. Specific criteria will be elaborated in common, as a part of the methodology developed. General indicators of success : • good results in the training modules applied • involvement of the partnership in a new project
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