The Travel Institute is awarding scholarships to travel agents during its third annual Promote Your Professionalism month, a July campaign that focuses on agent education.
Agents can qualify for scholarships from the Travel Institute Fund that cover 50% of the costs of the Certified Travel Associate (CTA), Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) and Certified Travel Industry Executive (CTIE) programs. (See www.thetravelinstitute.com/2016-scholarship for application forms.)
During the promotion last year, more than 300 scholarships were awarded, said Carla Smith, an institute spokeswoman. Scholarships are open to anyone in the industry. Once agents submit application forms, they are notified within seven days; they then must enroll in an education program by July 30.
The institute is also beefing up its training schedule for July with four webinars, a podcast and special content in its twice-weekly newsletters (Hot Tip Tuesday and Friday Five). All will be focused on effective marketing strategies for agents, specifically on public relations, specialization, public speaking and social media.
Diane Petras, the institute's COO, said in a statement that the July promotion had awarded $100,000 in scholarships the past two years.
"That translates to helping more than 600 professionals reach their educational goals through this special endowment, and that doesn't even include the thousands of people who took advantage of the PR training," she said. "It's clear to us that people understand the value of certification but may not have the financial resources to see it through nor the know-how to promote it once they complete the comprehensive training. Our Promote Your Professionalism program makes both happen."
The four webinars in July include sessions on effective promotion through the media, powerful public speaking and promoting romance and wellness specialties. A new podcast on the topic of using photos on social media to boost professionalism also will be released this month.
For more information on the webinars and other features of the July campaign, go to www.thetravelinstitute.com.