Member Article

Dawson & Sanderson unite apprentices to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week

Leading North East travel agent, Dawson & Sanderson, invited former and current apprentices to share experiences and celebrate National Apprenticeship Week at the company's Newcastle branch. 

Dawson & Sanderson have delivered highly successful apprenticeship schemes every year since 2011 and partnered with AS Training in 2023 to continue to support the next generation of travel specialists. 

The 2024 theme for National Apprenticeship Week was “Skills for Life”, encouraging employers to consider how apprenticeships can help individuals gain skills that can help develop a future-proofed workforce. 

The travel industry, in particular, is being encouraged to invest in apprentices as training in this sector offers some of the best opportunities to gain workplace, customer-facing and administration skills.

To mark this year’s National Apprenticeship Week, five Dawson & Sanderson team members delivered presentations showcasing their career journeys, all of which began with a two-year Travel Consultant apprenticeship. 

The presentations offered the new cohort of Dawson & Sanderson apprentices valuable advice, including encouraging the budding travel professionals to get involved with familiarisation (FAM) trips to broaden their knowledge of hotels, attractions and destinations. 

General Manager of Training and Development, Julie Cloe, said, “I arranged this National Apprenticeship Week reflection session as I believe it is an integral part of the apprenticeship journey. Hearing from former apprentices provides new apprentices with an insight into how their future can look here at Dawson and Sanderson. It also offered former apprentices the opportunity to reflect on their own personal and professional development and inspire new apprentices during this initial phase of their career with us.”

The Dawson & Sanderson Travel Consultant apprenticeship offers learners the opportunity to learn on the job, gain crucial experience and build up individual customer bases through regular in-store interactions. Alongside this in-person experience, apprentices work toward their Level 3 Travel Consultant qualification.

Director of AS Training, Michelle Van-Sprang, said, “I believe today has provided valuable inspiration and encouragement to those on their apprenticeship journey. Hearing how those who came before them are enjoying a fruitful and successful career at Dawson & Sanderson is a great motivator. The current apprentices look up to these individuals and visualise themselves in a similar role in the future, inspiring the next generation of travel experts.”

 

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Vikki McIsaac .