For the first time, travel agent members of CLIA will be able to use CLIA training and certification programs toward a university degree. CLIA entered an articulation agreement with the University of Phoenix so that the school will recognize certain CLIA training courses as credits toward a degree. CLIA agents can transfer credits from 34 CLIA certification and training courses toward elective credits when studying for their associate or bachelor’s degree with the University of Phoenix, the largest for-profit university in North America. The school has more than 200 locations as well as online programs. According to the agreement, CLIA credits can even be retroactively used toward a University of Phoenix degree. Bob Sharak, CLIA’s executive vice president, said that the agreement would "make the industry stronger" and would solidify CLIA’s position as a leader in education. "We have already positioned ourselves as the leader in education and invested in these programs," he said. "If there are CLIA agents out there who have a desire to pursue an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, and some may already be taking classes at University of Phoenix, we want to make it known to them they have another option and that they can use [CLIA] credits toward bigger goals." Sharak said the program could encourage agents to pursue further degrees. "The agents may think, 'I already have this stuff in the bank; it may be worth my while to pursue further education with a tourism degree,' " he said. Another goal of the program, Sharak said, is to encourage current University of Phoenix students to look at careers in selling travel. "We are hoping existing students at the University of Phoenix in the tourism school will be interested and avail themselves of this, as well," he said. Sharak said the program complements programs CLIA already has in higher-education institutions. 'A new generation of travel agents'
CLIA currently offers programs in 15 college and tourism schools called the Associate Cruise Degree in the U.S. and Associate Cruise Program in Canada. Upon completion, the students earn the CLIA ACD/ACP designation and 80 credits that can be applied to the Accredited Cruise Counsellor Certification upon pursuing a travel sales career. The CLIA coursework is part of the class curriculum, but the coursework does not earn college credit, per se. Last year, 500 students at schools like Johnson & Wales University, St. John’s University and the Canadian Tourism College participated. "Part of what we are trying to do is find a new generation of travel agents with our ongoing programs with colleges, universities and schools," Sharak said. "If young people are pursuing a field in tourism, we want to make them aware of the opportunities in travel sales and selling cruises." The agreement makes 34 CLIA certification and training courses eligible, both online and in classroom. Programs that did not qualify were mostly product-oriented, such as those about CLIA-member cruise lines and ships. Deborah Townley, director of workforce solutions for the University of Phoenix, said the agreement is one of hundreds that the school has with corporations and associations around the country, including Royal Caribbean International. The University of Phoenix has reviewed some of the cruise lines’ internally offered courses and accepts some toward their degrees. She said the university was attracted to CLIA’s programs because it’s a large association, with 25 cruise line members and more than 10,000 individual agents actively enrolled in its certification. CLIA currently offers 25 seminars online as well as 20 three-hour and seven 90-minute classroom seminars, delivered locally in more than 150 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Townley said she had been reaching out individually to the cruise lines prior to finding CLIA. Before reaching an agreement with the group, the University of Phoenix assessed each CLIA course to determine whether it could be used toward accreditation, an eight-week process. Townley said these programs save students time and money, adding to their ability to pursue degrees. She said that, typically, 15 hours of learning is worth one credit and that sometimes students can save up to a year in course fees by transferring outside credits in. "It’s a good incentive for students and the corporations," she said. "We’re helping our students complete their education and save money."
CLIA currently offers programs in 15 college and tourism schools called the Associate Cruise Degree in the U.S. and Associate Cruise Program in Canada. Upon completion, the students earn the CLIA ACD/ACP designation and 80 credits that can be applied to the Accredited Cruise Counsellor Certification upon pursuing a travel sales career. The CLIA coursework is part of the class curriculum, but the coursework does not earn college credit, per se. Last year, 500 students at schools like Johnson & Wales University, St. John’s University and the Canadian Tourism College participated. "Part of what we are trying to do is find a new generation of travel agents with our ongoing programs with colleges, universities and schools," Sharak said. "If young people are pursuing a field in tourism, we want to make them aware of the opportunities in travel sales and selling cruises." The agreement makes 34 CLIA certification and training courses eligible, both online and in classroom. Programs that did not qualify were mostly product-oriented, such as those about CLIA-member cruise lines and ships. Deborah Townley, director of workforce solutions for the University of Phoenix, said the agreement is one of hundreds that the school has with corporations and associations around the country, including Royal Caribbean International. The University of Phoenix has reviewed some of the cruise lines’ internally offered courses and accepts some toward their degrees. She said the university was attracted to CLIA’s programs because it’s a large association, with 25 cruise line members and more than 10,000 individual agents actively enrolled in its certification. CLIA currently offers 25 seminars online as well as 20 three-hour and seven 90-minute classroom seminars, delivered locally in more than 150 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Townley said she had been reaching out individually to the cruise lines prior to finding CLIA. Before reaching an agreement with the group, the University of Phoenix assessed each CLIA course to determine whether it could be used toward accreditation, an eight-week process. Townley said these programs save students time and money, adding to their ability to pursue degrees. She said that, typically, 15 hours of learning is worth one credit and that sometimes students can save up to a year in course fees by transferring outside credits in. "It’s a good incentive for students and the corporations," she said. "We’re helping our students complete their education and save money."
1 comment:
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