TFA Tourism For All Website
31/08/2010
The TFA Training courses have been developed with the help of people with disabilities and industry professionals from across Europe. It is a fresh, user friendly and thorough training tool which can be accessed easily either at the work place, in an office or at home.
The courses have been designed to be cost-effective, simple to follow, provide helpful information and boost the confidence of all people working in the Hospitality, Tourist and Leisure business. Each course is tailored to specific job roles, and supported by a general programme for all staff – “First contact with disabled customers”.
Having been taken through a training programme a test is completed to check the learner’s understanding, and a certificate will be presented in the name of the Business member and of Tourism for All UK.
Courses currently available:
- First contact with disabled customers - Note – this course has to be taken with any of or all the other courses
- Guest service staff - Restaurant, Lounge and Bar workers, Cleaning and Bedroom staff
- Receptionist
- Porter, Doorman and Concierge
- Amusement, Theme Parks and Attractions staff
One of the objectives of Tourism for All UK is to support the hospitality industry in ensuring that the needs of all people whatever their circumstances are understood and met.
Anticipating the needs of all people and understanding the access challenges that face disabled and less-able people can be very difficult for staff if it is not something that they have experienced or had training in.
It is easy to cause unnecessary offence to guests if staff lack confidence or feel awkward in talking to or when serving such customers .
The DDA requires businesses to be able, to some extent, to anticipate the needs of disabled guests.
We recommend that all businesses have a comprehensive Access Statement for all guests and potential customers available in printed format as well as being highly visible on their web site.
More information on this and other helpful advice can be found on the 'Advice for Tourism Businesses' section of the web site.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s advice is that cases against businesses where guests have been discriminated against and suffered humiliation as a result of inappropriate or inadequate service are likely to be the hardest-hitting.
Getting staff trained is one of the best ways to demonstrate that you have taken all reasonable steps to avoid such situations arising and to raise their confidence.
Providing an insight as to how to improve accessibility will ensure the enjoyment of all your customers.
The ACCESS FOR ALL Training programme has been developed with the help of people with disabilities, industry professionals from across Europe. It is a user friendly and thorough training tool which can be accessed easily either at the work place, in an office or at home. The programmes provide helpful information and are simple to follow (taking approximately 30 minutes each). Each programme is tailored to specific job roles and is supported by a general programme - First Contact with Disabled Customers.
As an example, this part of the programme will take a member of staff through how to recognise a guest with a visual impairment, what their key needs are and how to provide high quality service. The programme covers the needs of people with many other disabilities. Having been taken through both programmes a test is taken to check the staff's understanding requiring a pass of 70% and a certificate will be presented in the name of the business and Tourism for All. Much of the content will already be familiar to many people but as an industry we need all staff to maximise their skills and ensure that Britain is a world leader in providing the best possible customer service for all.
Tourism for All recognises that tourists are travelling with many different purposes - holidays, shopping trips, booking tickets, visiting theatres, museums, themed parks, travelling, eating out and so on. They are with us everywhere and every day. Tourists are valued customers and expect good service every time.
Tourists come in all kinds of guises - they may be fit, disabled (permanently or temporarily), young or old, foreigners or UK residents, nervous or confident, but whoever they are or whatever their circumstances they deserve respect and will need recognition and may need special assistance. That is why Access for All Training programmes will help you to make a real difference. The programmes as well as being an E-learning tool can also be packaged to be used in group training sessions.