Leading Scottish tourism in the right direction
In the last two years, the tourism sector has been presented with unprecedented challenges. Now destination leaders must respond.
To assist, a comprehensive series of leadership skills courses are providing accredited leadership training and ongoing professional development for new and experienced leaders. Fully-funded by Scottish Government, two courses are being supported through Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland. Both are now open to applications.
The first course, the Scottish Tourism Leadership Programme is a live (real-time) online 3-day course that will enhance your awareness and knowledge of destination development whilst progressing your tourism leadership skills and capabilities. It has a number of potential start dates running through to Spring 2022, so there’s plenty of flexibility and no reason not to capitalize on this outstanding development opportunity.
“The short course was packed full of learning, networking, and industry speakers which made for a comprehensive overview of leadership and destination development,” confirms Kirsty McNamara, Strategy Project Co-ordinator, VentureNorth, who recently completed the online course.
Another sector professional who recently completed the three-day course is Matthew Quinn: “The Scottish Tourism Leadership Programme is an excellent opportunity for tourism professionals to deepen their understanding of the complexities of our industry… it provides fantastic insight into the core values of leadership, whilst also providing you the chance to network with other key stakeholders within the sector.”
The short course can be undertaken as a stand-alone development opportunity; but for those looking for progression, it is also an excellent introduction for the larger Destination Leaders Programme, or DLP – which now has almost 150 alumni.
The Destination Leaders Programme, is a 6 month transformational investment for you, your business and your destination. It starts this October, so there’s just enough time to still apply!
This award winning, academically accredited CPD is based on practice-based learning. Again funded by Scottish Government and delivered by Edinburgh Napier’s internationally-renowned tourism team, it’s open to individuals with a key and active role in their tourism business, if they are based in Scotland. You must also be able to show ambition, commitment and passion for developing yourself, your business and your destination, and demonstrate this in a personal statement that is submitted with your application.
“This course has been good for broadening my network and expanding my perspective,” says Joshua Ryan-Saha, a graduate of Destination Leaders Programme 2020 and Director of Traveltech for Scotland (pictured above). “It offers the opportunity to learn in multiple ways and isn’t too time intensive.”
Another graduate of 2020 is Cara Baillie, now Regional Brand Home Manager West, Diageo; “The course tutors were inspirational and the exchange of ideas was great. It’s a brilliant opportunity to step back from work, meet fantastic people, reflect, and share industry insights.”
Find out more about these two unmissable opportunities:
3-day Scottish Tourism Leadership Development Programme
Destination Leaders Programme.