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ONLINE TOUR GUIDE TRAINING
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is online tour guide training?
2. Do I have to do this course?
3. Will the course replace the current Tour Operator Workshop/Seminar?
4. How much will the course cost?
5. How long will the course take to complete?
6. Who is running the course?
7. What is Learnline?
8. What if I don’t have a computer or have a computer without internet access?
9. Is the course compulsory?
10. How will I be assessed?
11. What will I receive?
12. Will successful completion of entry-level tour guide training become a permit requirement?
13. I’ve been a tour guide for years, why do I need a certificate?
14. I’ve been a tour guide for years and know my stuff, how do I get my certificate?
15. I already have my Cert I/II/III/IV in Tour Guiding, do I have to do this course?
16. I guide in Kakadu National Park and only go to Uluru–Kata Tjuta once or twice a year; do I have to do both courses?
17. Will international or interstate guides escorting tour groups, or guides on extended tours through the NT, have to do the course?
18. I run a tour company, what can I do to get certified guides?
19. How can I obtain more information or register my interest to do the course?
1. What is online tour guide training?
Parks Australia and the traditional Aboriginal owners of Uluru and Kakadu National Parks have been running park-based Tour Operator Workshops/Seminars for people interested in having accurate, culturally appropriate knowledge of these parks.
While these three-day workshops have proved very popular and successful, they cannot fully satisfy demand for training. There is still evidence that some tour guides are not providing their visitors with accurate information.
As a result, Parks Australia and Charles Darwin University (CDU) have developed an entry-level tour guide training package to be delivered through CDU’s Learnline, a flexible, online e-learning site.
This entry-level training covers the key areas of visitor safety, understanding the parks’ natural and cultural values and history, minimising environmental impact and legal compliance. Park staff, traditional Aboriginal owners and the tourism industry have been consulted in developing the course.
The online delivery of the course uses a range of interactive tools, including online discussions and other audio and visual learning aids, as well as the direct participation of park staff and traditional Aboriginal owners.
2. Do I have to do this course?
Tour guides responsible for the safety and welfare of visitors to Uluru and Kakadu will be required by Parks Australia to have successfully completed this course to be eligible to operate in the park after 2008.
3. Will the course replace the current Tour Operator Workshop/Seminar?
Traditional owners and park staff will continue to hold the popular park-based tour operator workshops/seminars two or three times a year. However, the entry-level training is now a prerequisite for attendance at the workshops, so these workshops no longer need to include basic training. They are being further enhanced to provide a more in-depth experience of local culture .
Course participants wanting to have their training nationally recognised through formal assessment, will be required to attend the relevant Tour Operator Workshop/Seminar, or a specially convened workshop, to have their knowledge and skills practically assessed.
4. How much will the course cost?
This training is subsidised by the NT Government and will cost $170. Those doing both courses will pay $138 for the second course.
Tourism NT is also offering a $70 rebate to participants who are among the first to enrol and complete the training and assessment, however this only applies to the first course completed.
Anyone seeking more information on their eligibility for the $70 rebate should contact Tourism Top End (08 8936 2499) for the Kakadu course or CATIA (08 8952 5199) for the Uluru course.
5. How long will the course take to complete?
Because of the flexible nature of online delivery, participants will undertake learning at their own pace, and much will depend on the participant’s existing knowledge of the subject matter.
Students will be given twelve months to complete the course, however course organisers estimate that guides with a working knowledge of their park will be able to complete the course in a significantly shorter period, with some completing it in a matter of days.
Individual support will be available to assist participants to work through the materials and learning and assessment activities. The CDU coordinator will have details.
6. Who is running the course?
Participants in the course will be enrolled through Charles Darwin University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality in the Interpret Aspects of Local Australian Indigenous Culture unit. The course will be delivered using CDU’s Learnline e-learning website, however, for those who don’t have access to a computer or the internet, the course can be made available in print and CD ROM.
7. What is Learnline?
Learnline is used by Charles Darwin University to make subjects available online.
Learnline allows participants to view the course on the web, undertake interactive learning activities, download information and link to other websites. You can also view your progress and participate in online class discussion.
8. What if I don’t have a computer or have a computer without internet access?
Participants without a computer, or with access to a computer without internet access, will have the course made available to them in either print or CD-ROM versions.
9. Is the course compulsory?
The Boards of Management of both Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parks have resolved that successful completion of the entry-level tour guide training is to become compulsory from mid-2008. Until that time the course will not be compulsory, however there will be incentives, such as the partial rebate of the course fee, for those tour guides who complete the course before this time.
10. How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed by the Tour Guiding trainer and assessor from CDU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism. The assessment involves two components: one theoretical, the other practical.
To become certified to work as a tour guide at Uluru or Kakadu, successful completion of the theory assessment will be mandatory. However, to gain nationally accredited units of competence you will be required to attend the relevant Tour Operator Workshop/Seminar and successfully complete a practical assessment in the Park.
11. What will I receive?
When you successfully complete the theory component of the tour guide training course, you will receive certification from Parks Australia. By completing both the theory and practical components you will receive a nationally-recognised Statement of Attainment from CDU.
12. Will successful completion of entry-level tour guide training become a permit requirement?
From mid-2008 permits to conduct tours for commercial purposes in Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parks will have as a condition that the permittee’s tour guides, that is the person having primary responsibility for the permittee’s clients, must have successfully completed the entry-level tour guide training course, much as they are currently required to hold a Senior First Aid Certificate.
13. I’ve been a tour guide for years, why do I need a certificate?
As stakeholders in an increasingly professional industry, Parks Australia and the Boards of Management of Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parks are aware that the information presented to visitors by tour guides directly impacts on those visitors’ safety and experience.
This course has been specifically developed by CDU using information collected by Parks Australia on behalf of the traditional Aboriginal owners of the two parks, with the aim of training and assessing tour guide knowledge that is particular to either park.
The entry-level tour guide training course has been developed to ensure that the information presented to visitors is of the highest standard, and is part of a broader move towards industry-accredited national benchmarks in education and training.
14. I’ve been a tour guide for years and know my stuff, how do I get my certificate?
As a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), CDU offers credit transfer (CT) and
recognition of prior learning (RPL). Credit transfer applies to students who have completed equivalent units of competency with an RTO, while RPL applies to experienced guides who can demonstrate they can meet all the requirements of the training.
However, to gain certification from Parks Australia to guide in each of the parks, you will need to demonstrate that you have knowledge specific to the Parks. This is done by undertaking the assessment sections of the Uluru or Kakadu tour guide training courses.
15. I already have my Cert I/II/III/IV in Tour Guiding, do I have to do this course?
While tour guides who have already completed a nationally accredited Tourism qualification may have successfully completed the elective unit Interpret Aspects of Local Australian Indigenous Culture, this training has been developed recently with knowledge specific to guiding in Kakadu and Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Parks.
The Boards of Management of the Parks have determined that guides need knowledge specific to each park, to maximise safety, compliance, and the accuracy of information provided to park visitors.
While credit transfer (CT) and recognition of prior learning (RPL) are available for the unit Interpret Aspects of Local Australian Indigenous Culture, successful completion of the assessment sections of the Uluru and Kakadu tour guide training courses will be required to gain certification from Parks Australia to guide in either of these parks.
16. I guide in Kakadu National Park and only go to Uluru–Kata Tjuta once or twice a year; do I have to do both courses?
Due to the differences between the two national parks, the majority of content is unique to each course. Tour guides responsible for the safety and welfare of visitors in each park will need to understand these differences and have completed the certificate relevant to that park by mid-2008 to continue operating as a tour guide.
If you have completed the training for Kakadu, and you wish to undertake the training course for Uluru, you will be enrolled in the unit Research and Share General Information on Australian Indigenous Culture. Likewise, if you initially undertook the training for Uluru, the second training course will equip you with knowledge specific to Kakadu.
17. Will international or interstate guides escorting tour groups, or guides on extended tours through the NT, have to do the course?
All tour guides with primary responsible for their groups in either Kakadu or Uluru-Kata Tjuta National parks will be required by mid-2008 to have successfully completed the course.
Tour groups who do not have a suitably qualified guide will be required to employ a local guide with the appropriate certification.
18. I run a tour company, what can I do to get certified guides?
The introduction of tour guide certification is not only a requirement of the Boards of Management of Kakadu and Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Parks, it reflects broader initiatives from state, territory and Australian governments to improve standards and support career pathways in the tourism industry. Improvements in the professional standards of the industry, including tour guide certification, can only come about from supportive businesses.
In the introduction phase, tour companies wanting to remain competitive beyond 2008 will need to encourage and support employees seeking to participate in this entry-level tour guide training.
19. How can I obtain more information or register my interest to do the course?
Those interested requiring more information or wanting to register an interest in either the Kakadu or Uluru online tour guide training courses should contact the visitor information centre of the relevant park.
Kakadu National Park: contact Bowali Information Centre on +61 (0)8 8938 1120
Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park: contact the Cultural Centre on +61 (0)8 8956 1128 |
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