kabarsula Travellers Choice celebrates first ProAdvance graduates bandar SLOT INDONESIA

Travellers Choice has celebrated a dozen inaugural graduates of ProAdvance, its training program for future agency owners and managers.

The six-month course combined self-paced learning modules with monthly Zoom masterclasses, covering leadership mindset, strategic communication, people management and innovative thinking. Practical modules included financial forecasting and reporting.

Graduate Jonty Southam, of Newcastle agency Home and Afar, said the program had set her on an accelerated path to agency management.

“The program provided an opportunity to develop my leadership skills, but just as importantly, participation in monthly Zoom meetings helped me connect with other travel professionals and future business leaders,” she said.

“As a group we were able to talk about the opportunities and challenges each of us face at this point in our careers, which is really valuable. Those connections have continued beyond the course, and I think they will serve all of us well into the future.”

Michelle Sorgiovanni, office and logistics manager at Villa Holiday Your Way in Busselton, who leads a team, said she took the course mainly to build her leadership expertise.

“I found it particularly valuable in regard to providing solutions and options for addressing the many different facets of working with a team,” she said. “But it also looked at ways to manage yourself, in the sense of ensuring you are grounded and have the confidence to deal with challenging situations.

“Overall, I think it helped me understand the importance of maintaining a wider perspective on my role, as opposed to being hyper-focused on the day-to-day and purely task driven.”

Georgia Charlton, senior travel advisor at Panorama Cruise & Travel in Bathurst, said she viewed a move into management as a natural career progression, and agreed the course helped participants see the bigger picture.

“It made me realise how much of a mindset change is required to take that next step into a management role,” she said.

“It’s about more than simply ticking a box; it’s about understanding how to wear many different hats and recognising the work you need to do to ensure you have the skills to lead a team.”

She added the course was tailored specifically for experienced agents.

“It feels as if there is a lot of focus in our industry on newcomers and on agency owners, but sometimes experienced consultants fall through the gap.”

For more information on Travellers Choice please visit www.travelagentschoice.com.au.