Digital Tourism partners organised a webinar on the Digital Tourism current and future skills
On the 4th February 2021 the partnership of the Digital Tourism project organised a virtual event titled “Digital Tourism: Current and Future Skills”. The event was hosted online by EfVET, one of the partners responsible for the dissemination, among the others WP.
The digital development for tourism industry has become essential to gain competitive advantages and to shape their offer on the needs of the target audience. That’s why the KA3 DIGITAL TOURISM project was born.
The 21st century and technological evolution leads us to “digital experiences” and to a more demanding consumer with an enormous capacity for evaluation. This evolution proposes new challenges to maintain quality and keep different in a very competitive sector – Tourism. Considering this changes and challenges it was necessary to develop a new profile: DIGITAL TOURISM INTERMEDIATE PROFESSIONAL.
The partnership worked on developing this new job profile with the Digital Tourism Technician qualification. The course, with target group 15- to 19-year-old students, 3-year duration and Level of Qualification IV – V (depending on the countries), consists of 3 Learning Units: Tourism, Marketing, and IT in Tourism and it is studied to create, develop, promote and sell online products related to Tourism. It also foresees a long term WBL in international companies.
The moderator Ms Marijo Moreno, from the partner CEBANC welcomed the participants and introduced the speakers. Having worked in international cooperation projects for several years, as coordinator of Insignare’s office dedicated to this area, Mr Sérgio Fernandes presented the project Digital Tourism more in details.
Ms Elisabete Marques, who in addition to the role of Teacher & Trainer, is also a Technical Supervisor at Fatima Hospitality School (part of Insignare), presented “Digital Tourism VET Design Project” and the detailed the Digital Tourism Technician qualification.
Mr Pieter van Schie, Director of Dutch Foundation of Innovation Welfare2 Work followed with his presentation on “Skills & Methodology WBL Assessment”. WBL is an effective teaching approach used to engage students in real-life occupational Digital Tourism experiences. It incorporates structured, work-based learning activities into the curriculum, allowing a student to apply knowledge and skills learned in class and connect these learning experiences in the workplace. He stressed the importance of carrying out an assessment of the students: they can be selected on certain soft and hard skills (technical and knowledge), attitudes and behavior. Such assessment, and the steps from Recruitment to Selection to Placement were described, as well as the Placement and Orientation Checklist were described more in details.
Insignare contributed to the event also with a Good practice “Carmelite Route”, presented by Ms Carina João Oliveira – CEO of Insignare & EfVET Secretary to the Board – through a video which can be found at this link. Students from Insignare choose this Route and went to study it. Thanks to this study, they collected elements, stories, data, photos… Thanks to a planning, the activity of research, thinking, creativity was possible in the classes: students started using what they found along the route for their VET courses of Cooking, Pastry, Bar, Tourism. For example, they made tasky pastries of pumpkin. The route was then completed with new products, digital content, information, tradition and values. An event was organised and students of Digital Tourism also worked on the digitalization of the content: this is the future!
Ms Anna Barbieri, EU DG-Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion (Unit E3 for VET, Apprenticeships & adult learning) presented “The New Skills Agenda and the Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience”. Among the recommendations she stressed out the importance to:
- Equip young people and adults with the skills to manage the recovery and the just transitions to the green and digital economy, and to thriving in the evolving labour market cycles
- Promote European vocational education and training systems in an international context so that they are recognised as a worldwide reference of excellence
- Foster inclusiveness and equal opportunities and contribute to achieving resilience, social fairness and prosperity
The last speaker was Mr Afonso Carreira, Business Development Manager at Verde Pino Travel Agency based in Fatima, Portugal. With his presentation “Digital Promotion in the Hospitality Industry”, he described the Consumer Decision Journey, the Tourism Distribution Channels, and Promotion in the travel industry. He also stressed out the importance of the Digital marketing and the Covid-19 acceleration of it.
We would like to thank once again all the speakers and the participants for their active participation and engagement during the webinar.
For more information, please check the project website at this link.
