Workstar

12 July 2006

ATEC to launch online learning community - "Export Ready"

(SYDNEY, Australia - 12th July 2006) - The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC), the national peak body of the $17 billion tourism export industry, with e-learning partner TodayCorp, have developed an innovative new learning pathway, "Export Ready" to be launched to its 1100 members this month.

The launch will include three e-learning modules, "Know your markets - Korea, China, India and Japan", "Starting a tourism export business" and "Understanding today's distribution system"and will coincide with ATEC's accredited "Tourism Export Code of Conduct" course moving to an online format.

"Export Ready" has been developed by ATEC and TodayCorp in response to the absence of tourism export specific learning products in the market. ATEC intends the learning modules to allow individuals working in the sector to hone their skills and become more effective, proficient and successful in driving additional export earnings into Australia.

Matthew Hingerty, Managing Director of ATEC says that Australia needs to ensure it remains internationally competitive on the world tourism stage to achieve the expected growth in tourists and export dollars over the next decade.

"The future expansion depends on all types of tourism export operators acquiring and maintaining rich knowledge about how international distribution works. By providing the courses online we can ensure all Australian companies, regardless of geographical location, can access these skills and business development tools."

"We're really excited about Export Ready. Not only do we see it as a new service to our members, to train new staff and to check if job applications have Export Ready on their CV, we see it as an important marketing tool and introduction to ATEC for potential new entrants into the inbound tourism industry and to ATEC itself," said Hingerty.

"Export Ready" will be delivered through Versity, the proprietary software platform of integrated online learning and recruitment specialist TodayCorp.

"By creating an industry-wide learning platform, SME's in the tourism export sector gain the benefits from online learning without incurring their own learning platform and content costs", said Joe Ward, CEO of TodayCorp. "This initiative also provides ATEC the ability to more effectively engage its members through the Versity platform's communication features."