Peggy Esseldeurs is Assistant Director, Travel & Tourism of the IATA Training and Development Institute(ITDI) , located in Montreal. In this interview, Peggy shares with us the importance of specialization in training in various segments of the airline industry.

Tell us about the wide range of activities of IATA
Perhaps I could begin by telling you what IATA is. IATA is the association representing 240 of the world's scheduled airlines. Our membership represents 94% of the world's international scheduled air traffic. Our mission in IATA is to lead, serve and represent the airline industry. The accompanying activities are quite vast, but generally they fall into these categories: airline operation, navigation services, cargo, economics, fuel management, environment, finance, passenger services, regulations and aero-political issues, safety, simplifying the business and travel and tourism.

What is your role at ITDI?
My role at ITDI is to lead the travel and tourism training programme It involves every area of the programme, including product development, production, sales and marketing, enrollment, registration, examination and ATC/LC(Authorised Training Centre/Local-Co-ordinator) relations.

How has the year 2007 been in terms of the airline, travel and air cargo industries and what is the expected growth in these industries in the coming years?
IATA's latest forecast, based upon a survey of the airline industry, shows that passenger and cargo demand will continue to provide a positive boost to airline revenues until 2011. However the profile of growth will differ.

Airline financial performance improved strongly during the first half of 2007 and IATA has forecasted 2007 net profits from $5.1 billon to $5.6 billon. However, the potential impact of higher oil prices or the turmoil in credit markets has led IATA to take a more cautious view of prospects for 2008 with a forecast estimating the net profits to be around $5 billion in 2008.

Airlines in North America faced substantial restructuring and debt interest costs last year. However, 2007 has been profitable for airlines of this region. European airlines extended their steady improvement in profitability built partly on the continuing strength of the long-haul business travel market. Asia-Pacific airlines as a group will see their profitability slip, partly as a result of added capacity and lower yields.

The IATA/UFTAA courses are generally perceived as courses in ticketing and with e-ticketing being fully implemented in 2007-08, how would the IATA/UFTAA training be useful to the airline and travel aspirants?
The perception is partially correct. Air fares and ticketing is a major part of the IATA/UFTAA Training Programme, but it is not the whole story. The programme is also intended to give grounding in world geography, air transport essentials, tour packages, technology in the travel business and other aspects of working in an agency with a good level of skill. Our courses are competency based and all of these topics are useful to anyone aspiring to work in a travel business, because the training content reflects the actual working environment.

Tell us about the 4 level IATA travel and tourism programmes
We surveyed the travel industry to see what would compose a complete training programme. We discovered that the industry desired a career path programme that would meet the training needs of people at each stage of their travel careers. So we created the four level training programme comprising the Foundation course for new-entrants; Consultant, the more advanced course; Stepping into Management and Senior Management programmes are aimed at those aspiring to make careers at middle management and higher management levels after having completed the initial qualifications and/or having the requisite industry experience. We also have the GDS Fares and Ticketing course, which is stand alone hybrid of the fares and ticketing portions of the Foundation and Consultant courses. Additionally, there is the Travel Agent's Marketing Course for those who want to specialize in travel marketing.

How are the international qualifications that are offered by IATA useful in career advancement for new entrants as well as for those who are the part of airline industry?
Seasoned industry experts write the training content on which the qualification are based. We make a point to have all of our courses written and reviewed by recognized experts in their respective fields who have actual experience in the industry. Therefore, the value of our diploma is not only related to the IATA brand .The content provides student with a practical and useful application on the job. So in this manner our products provide value for new entrants, as well as for those who are part of the industry.

Which are the key areas employment in the airline sector and what programmes would you recommend to address the scarcity of skilled manpower in these key areas.
The key areas of employment needs in airlines vary somewhat between regions, but perhaps, in this context, it is more pertinent to look at the travel and tourism sector as a whole. This sector has a great need for skilled workers, especially in emerging markets where marketing, infrastructure, services, communications and hospitality are of great importance.

Given this environment, I would see the Foundation course as a first step in preparing to work in the travel industry. I would also recommend specializing in a particular field in order to be more appealing to an employer. For this reason, I see our next level of training, such as the Consultant course, Travel Agents Marketing, Stepping into Management- this is the new title of the Management course and Senior Management, not to mention the GDS Fares and Ticketing course as quite essential.

I encourage your students to visit any travel or career fair in their area to gain a better sense of what is required in their region. I also believe IATA credentials carry international recognition and are useful for any related vocation in tourism, because inevitably, in some aspect, the sector will utilize multinational companies that recognize and favour international qualifications over domestic ones.

How would you rate the quality of training provided by the IATA ATCs in India compared to those across the world?
One way we can view the quality of training for a country is by viewing the examination pass rates. Over the past several years, India is placed within plus or minus 3% of the world average, depending on the session .Obviously this is not the only way to measure quality, but it is one benchmark.

What are the training programmes that would be useful for those who plan to enter the Freight Forwarding and Air Cargo Industries?
The IATA/FIATA programme features a suite of distance learning and classroom products the students may follow in order to enter the air cargo world. The Cargo Introductory Course and Dangerous Goods course are two basic courses that are very useful and make a good combination, with the introductory course providing a general introduction to the freight forwarding vocation and the Dangerous Goods course providing a specialization. The Cargo English course is also quite useful as it provides an interactive and audio format to learn the correct English terms and expressions used in the air cargo world.

What is your view on the mushrooming of aviation and tourism institutes and how does one go about selecting the right institute especially for those who want to make a career in the airline industry?
Speaking globally, I see that schools are opening up in emerging markets and that is encouraging. To give an example, I recently visited the World Travel Market exhibition in London. At the exhibition, I visited several representatives of countries and regions eager to develop tourism. At the same time, we have new schools opening in several of these areas of the world, so I am encouraged that the spread of the IATA/UFTAA programme parallel the growth of these emerging markets. For IATA, it is the quality of the instruction in our ATCs that counts. We only accredit schools that share our vision of quality instruction and authorization, monitoring and instructor approval process is a mark of the IATA standard of quality. Therefore, to answer your question specifically, for me the right institute to select will be an official IATA Authorized Training Centre. You can visit http://www.iata.org/training/atc ats/ to find out the list of IATA/UFTAA as well as IATA/FIATA authorized training centres, not only in terms of location but also the courses that each of these centres are authorized for.

What are the training programmes that ITDI plans to introduce in the near future?
There are several new courses planned for 2008, both classroom and distance learning. I would like to add here as to how we go about selecting topics for our courses. Every year, IATA's Board of Governors approves an agenda for IATA with distinct corporate objectives. These objectives are based on key industry needs. IATA then support these objectives through its various activities. To give an example, simplifying the business or StB objective was featured in ITDIs training portfolio in numerous ways. The IATA/UFTAA programme, supported it by featuring electronic ticketing in its syllabus. In 2008, IATA is committed to reducing carbon emissions by aircraft to protect the environment and ITDI will be introducing environmental courses in its training products this year.

What are the attributes one needs in order to be successful in the airline industry?
Perhaps we need to look at the industry itself. Commercial air transport has gone through many changes in the last decade. For instance, there are several pioneering airlines that no longer exist and there are new entrants, low cost carriers included, that have emerged to create a kind of sub-market of their own. At the same time, the industry is getting even more competitive as it deregulates. Also, airlines are quite sensitive to economic and political shocks. I am thinking now of the price of jet fuel or, on the other hand, the 9/11 tragedy, both of which have had a profound effect on world travel and the airline business. Generally speaking, an airline will have an operating margin of 1% or 2% - when 8% is needed to cover the cost of capital and provide shareholders with a decent return on investment. I must add that these figures are not to give you a pessimistic view, but to show that the air transport industry is very dynamic, so an attribute one needs to be successful in this industry is flexibility and an openness to change. Naturally, one also needs the basic skills associated with any global business: an appreciation for numbers and the ability to measure using numbers; the ability to communicate well both in writing and verbally, and a good knowledge of world geography. I would also like to add that the common language of the airlines industry is English. Whether is right or wrong is perhaps a topic for debate, but it's a fact and a proficiency in written and spoken English is certainly an asset when seeking work with the airlines.

On your personal side, when did you join ITDI and how did you enter the airline industry.
I joined IATA in 2006. Before that I was part of the team that launched SN Brussels Airlines and I was Vice President for the region of Africa for the aforementioned airline. Prior to that time, I was responsible for sales in the African region, the largest single market, for Sabena, the national airline of Belgium. I have worked in many parts of the airline business, including operation, cargo, corporate planning, international relations and sales, as well as with the travel agency community during my career.

Lastly your message to the readers especially those who wish to enter the airline industry.
The air transport world is very dynamic and exciting. Generally, it attracts enthusiastic people who work hard and enjoy working in an international environment. I am often amused that, airline employees are quite passionate about what they do and will often talk about airlines and travel even during their time off work! It is also an industry where you can learn a lot about business, different cultures, problem solving and the world in general. If this kind of work appeals to you, then the travel industry is a great place to be. Start your career with a good education and if you have an IATA diploma or certificate, then you already have a head start to join the travel industry.

I wish all your students, success and personal fulfillment in their careers.
 

CONTENTS | HOME | IMFAA | IHCTM | SCHNELL HANS