The digital show ‘Tourism Talks’ will have another event on April 21st, 2022. Register here and join us. Topic of this second show is: ‘Marketing and Sale in a Conversational World’.Tourism Talks – Marketing and Sale in a Conversational World.

Work-Based Learning (WBL) is an effective teaching approach used to engage students in real-life occupational 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. Work-based learning provides students with the opportunity to engage and interact with employers, while learning to demonstrate essential employability and technical skills necessary for today’s workforce. The purpose of the DTQ Manual is to provide guidance and direction for schools when developing and implementing the components of work-based learning experiences outlined in the Digital Tourism Qualification. You can watch the video or read the PDF of the manual below.

DTQ Manual Chapters

The guidance and tools included within this resource are critical to all teachers, tutors, supervisors and administrators involved in the coordination of the Digital Tourism Qualification work-based learning program. The Digital Tourism Qualification Manual has 6 parts:1. Description and professional profile Digital Tourism;2. Syllabus DTQ;3. SDQ Learning Modules;4. DTQ Learning Plan;5. DTQ Assessment (specification of the learning outcomes (4.3); competence, knowledge, skills);6. Cesure and Rating Report. The partnership and stakeholders have evaluated the Manual on November 12th in a live stream and can still watch the recording on the forum, or evaluate the video (a new version is in production) or PDF below. Evaluate and enjoy !

Work-Based Learning (WBL) is an effective teaching approach used to engage students in real-life occupational 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. Work-based learning provides students with the opportunity to engage and interact with employers, while learning to demonstrate essential employability and technical skills necessary for today’s workforce. The Validation Committee of the European Partnership Digtal Tourism approved all Work Package documents during the Final Meeting in San Sebastian.

Final Meeting San Sebastian

On 20th, 21st and 22nd the Final Meeting of the KA3 project Digital Tourism took place in San Sebastian, Spain. During the meeting the DT Qualification Validation Committee approved all Work Package 4 documents. The 20 Work Based Learning documents are the basis for the internships and apprenticeships. Further the WBL Manual and Cesure and Rating Report were discussed. Soon more news on our Digital Tourism products developed

A Video Snap Shot DT Manual / Cesure and Rating Report

Last Friday, July 9th the project Digital Tourism showcased a special Tourism Talks edition on the topic Work Based Learning. The show can still be viewed OnLine in the ‘Digital Tourism Qualification Forum’ Facebook group by clicking this link. During the show we discussed more than 20 Work Based Learning documents, which must be used during the work based learning period for the interns and apprentices, as part of getting their Digital Tourism Qualification. These documents are produced by the Digital Tourism Partnership. After the discussion on the Forum we were able to validate and formalize all the documents. The Digital Tourism Validation Committee formally agreed upon finalization, with minor improvements. The very valuable feedback from our DTQ Forum stakeholders was priceless and is included in several documents. In September 2021 we will start up a series of DT Work Based Learning blogs to show you all the work we have we validated and formalised. A WBL Cesure and Rating Digital Tourism Report will conclude our findings aroound the Work Based Learning pilot we have run and documents used. The DT documents are free to download and available for everyone to use, copy and paste (mentioning the authors and DT partnership will still be appreciated though).

Validation and Formalization Work Based Learning Documents during Digital Tourism Event

The Work Based Learning docments which were dicussed during the Tourism Talks ‘Work Based Learning’edition are covering three phases:

Phase 1: Recruitment and Selection Phase:

Documents DT 0.0, DT 0.1 and DT 0.2 are preperation documents which are about the anouncement of the recruitment and what ‘Steps from recruitment to selection’ needs to ticked to do it successfully. The Document DT 1.0. ‘ On which criteria should sending organizations assess and select students prior to assure a successful WBL?’ is a very important document in phase I, the Recruitment and Selection phase. DT 1.0 is for assessing the students prior to their WBL-period on certain skills (technical and knowledge), attitudes and behaviour. In this way the schools will be able to select the right students for a successful WBL-period (internship / apprenticeship). Documents DT. 1.1 and DT 1.2 are approval and rejection formats and were also discussed and approved. Some suggestions made to upgrade the phase 1 WBL documents (six in total) were:

• Add a module for the articulation between the Marketing Plan and Revenue Management techniques, to the 30-hour course that the student will have prior to the internship;

• Add a document that helps to select the Host Company (that is, to verify if this company already has and applies digital marketing techniques), and simultaneously to serve as the basis (or Checklist) for each student’s training plan that will be placed in that company.

The DT Qualification Forum Validation Committee will discuss the above mentioned points in order to improve the quality.

Phase 2: Work Based Learning Assessment

During the Tourism Talks Event we have discussed Phase 2. The most important Document is DT 2.0 ‘Skills & Methodology WBL Assessment – Which skills should students be assessed during their work based learning period (internship/apprenticeship) ?’ and is the core of phase 2, the work based learning assessment. Under the supervision of tutors (company tutor and project tutor) students will be assessed during the work based learning period on:

• Digital Tourism Soft Skills and Hard Skills
• Definition of Digital Tourism Skills
• Digital Tourism Methodology of Assessment
  The ‘’Soft Skills’’ and “Hard Skills’’ of a student should comply to a minimum basic level: At least level 3 on a scale from 1 to 5. It’s allowed to have 2 negatives overall…, except when the categories ticked lower then 3 are Attendance and good work attitude. We are using a point-scale from 1 to 5

All the five documents (DT 2.0, DT. 2.1, DT 2.2, DT 2.3 and DT 2.4) of phase 2 were validated and formalized. Suggestions made were:

• General Feedback on DT2: Strengthen how internship and traineeship are defined as they are NOT only based on duration. 

• Specific Feedback on DT 2.0: Add a section on revenue management a function to be aware of and develop competencies for, because the highly volatile and competitive environment we found ourselves in due to the ongoing waves of COVID-19. Some topics on revenue management may be:
  – current revenue management  software and systems
  – new data sources local and global
  – continuous analysis
  – short-term forecasts

Phase 3: Learning Agreement and Monitoring Tools

The ten documents relating to the actual WBL period assessment and monitoring of the intern / apprentice are:
• Document 3.1 WBL Quality Commitment
• Document 3.2 Monitoring and Assessment Tool Interim Questionnaire Intern / Apprentice
• Document 3.3 Monitoring and Assessment Tool Final Questionnaire Intern / Apprentice
• Document 3.4 Monitoring and Assessment Tool Interim QuestionairreTutor
• Document 3.5 Monitoring and Assessment Tool Final QuestionairreTutor
• Document 3.6 Monitoring and Assessment Tool Interim Questionnaire Company Tutor
• Document 3.7 Monitoring and Assessment Tool Final Questionnaire Company Tutor
• Document 3.8 Monitoring and Assessment Tool Interim Feedback Questionnaire Intern /Apprentice
• Document 3.9 Monitoring and Assessment Tool Transcript of Work
All these documents are ofcourse related to DT 3.0 WBL Training Agreement

Suggestions made to phase 3 were:

• Is document DT 3.3 necessary ? The final questionnaire 3.8 could be sufficent for feedback
• Probably document DT 3.7 is not extremely necessary . According to some stakeholders the DT 3.9 is enough: This final transcript of work is enough to evaluate the internship
• General Feedback on DT3 package: To be aware  that feedback must be ongoing and throughout the WBL process; Creating Q&A session(s) as a space to facilitate conversation with interns and give access to information throughout the WBL process; Creating a cluster for peer-to-peer feedback; Distinguish clearly between learning goals and  “career” development goals

Above suggestions will also be discussed in the DT Qualification Forum Validation Committee to add value to validated documents produced.

The final WBL Concept Documents have all been posted in the Digital Tourism Qualification Forum. It’s still allowed ofcourse to give comments and/or remarks on each DT WBL Document in the Facebook group. Even more so, it will be appreciated. After a week or so, we will take all input and finalize and formalize the DT work based learning documents as a qualified end product (for work package 4). Do you want to watch the WBL Tourism Talks event and give your point of view now, click here.

The Digital Tourism Series ‘Tourism Talks’ Thursday June 28th 2021 13:00 – 14:00 CET, “New trends in Tourism communication”, click here to join the Event. 

Next Tourism Talks Event

The next Tourism Talks event is on Friday July 9th 2021, 14:00 – 15:00 CET, The topic is ”Digital Tourism Work Based Learning” and the moderator is Pieter van Schie. Do you want to read more about this event, click here. 

The previous ‘Tourism Talks’ of April 29th 2021 can be re-watched on our Digital Tourism Qualification Forum ! The May 27th show will be published soon as well. Do you want to know when the other Tourism Talks event take place, click here.

The project Digital Tourism has created the Digital Tourism Qualification Forum. This dedicated Facebook Group will start on April 29th, 13:00 hours the digital show ‘Tourism Talks’: Register here and join us. In a few weeks we will announce the dates and times. The Toursim Talks show will run all the way during 2021. Below our show schedule:

Schedule Tourism Talks show

Currently we have scheduled once a month a Tourism Talks show. We will update this page with dates and times for the Months May – December 2021 a.s.a.p.:

1) Digital inclusion in Tourism – April 29th. Click here to watch it on the Digital Tourism Qualification Forum Facebook group. The April 29th Toursim Talks included presentations of Ansier Landa Lopez and Giogia Marchionni. The Digital meeting was moderated by Pieter van Schie.

2) ”Digital Experiences for the Hospitality Sector” – 27th May. A video will be published soon in the DTQF Facebook group.

3) “New trends in Tourism communication” – 28th June, 13:00 -14:00 CET.

4) ‘‘Work Based Learning in Digital Tourism” – 9th July, 14:00 – 15:00 CET.

5) “Digital promotion of Tourism products” – 28th September, 13:00 -14:00 CET.

6) “Digital differentiation in Hospitality: companies and people” – 19th October, 13:00 -14:00 CET.

7) “Destination and Hotel strategic management” – 9th November, 13:00 -14:00 CET.

8) “Challenges of the 2030 agenda for sustainable tourism” – 7th December, 13:00 -14:00 CET.

Digital Tourism Qualification Forum

We have already discussed and exchanged a lot of good ideas on Digital Tourism. One of the Good practices we have shown in the DTQF was the video of the “Carmelite Route” by Carina João Oliveira (INSIGNARE & EfVET), which you can watch on our Digital Tourism Qualification Forum.

Digital transformation brings a number of disruptive changes. This is true not only on how we do things, but also and maybe most importantly, on how we (need to) rethink our processes and more generally our business models. Digital tools have a strong impact on education, on how our trainers may improve teaching strategies, on how learners can, for instance, become more aware about their learning styles and improve their learning strategies. Digital tools and artificial intelligence is already in use to improve management, performance and efficiency of VET institutions as well as help out with labour market intelligence. Vision and digital skills are key. How did the project Digital Tourism transform?

What are the main challenges the Digital Tourism project intends to solve?
Lack of Digitalisation in the Tourism sector; The gap between Tourism sector organisations and schools’ Tourism qualifications offers; Lack of European common qualifications.

What are the main outcomes your project will or have developed?
Digital Tourism European Organisations Needs Analysis Report; Digital Tourism Technician course technological
training content & its Job Profile; Work Based Learning Skills Assessment Protocol Requirements.

What are the main cooperation opportunities you wish to share with EfVET members?
Cooperation with other Tourism VET providers in new projects with a similar topic; Cooperation with mobility providers in this area.

What are the main interconnections with EfVET Thematic Teams, if any?
Mobility; Digitalisation in Tourism.

Would you like to provide any additional update or share a success obtained within the project? The project promoted an online dissemination event on February 4 2021, “Digital Tourism: current and future skills”, where participants from all over Europe followed two of project’s most relevant results being explained by two partners – the Digital Tourism VET course detailed technologic content, and its Work Based Learning students’ selection and assessment requirements.The event also had a presentation of a Digital Tourism student based Portuguese best practices and two external keynote speakers, one from a member of EU DG-EMPL (Unit for VET, Apprenticeship & Adult Learning), who briefed “The New Skills Agenda and the Osnabrück Declaration” and another from a travel agency Business Development Manager, who gave a “hands-on” approach about “Digital Promotion in the Hospitality Industry”. The feedback from the participants was very positive. Following that event, the consortium is now preparing
the “Tourism Talks”, a set of short informal online discussions about Tourism related topics, with experts coming from Hospitality companies. Like the previous, these online meetings will be streamlined by project’s Facebook “Digital Tourism Qualification Forum” and its documentation will be placed on the project’s website.
(Note: The above interview with sergio Fernandes, coordinator Digital Tourism, is taken from the EFVET magazine)

We were OnLine on February 4th 2021

The virtual event “Digital Tourism: Current and Future Skills” will take place on Thursday 4^th of February 2021 was an amazing success!

The Virual Digital Tourism Event was dedicated to updates on digital development for the tourism industry. The digital tourism 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 partnership worked on developing a new job profile the Digital Tourism Technician qualification:

• 3 years course
• 3 to 4 EQF level
• Tourism and IT skills curricula
• Long term WBL in international companies.

For more information about what we have done in the past, click here. It’s no longer possible to register for the event, but you can still join our Digital Tourism Qualification Forum, please register here for the Facebook Forum.

When you want to have a look at the Final Agenda of the event on Ferbruary 4th, see below. All presentations and materials are published on the facebook Forum (a.o. the Dutch Foundation has presented ‘Skills & Methodology Work Based Learning Assessment).