NCFE Level 3 Travel and Tourism suite

Vocational qualifications are either work-related qualifications designed to enable students to gain the skills required to perform a particular job, or qualifications that may be taken as part of a wider study programme or an apprenticeship.

Schools and colleges may offer qualifications that are not included in the DfE performance tables, if approved for teaching to 16-19 year olds by the Secretary of State for Education in England under Section 96, where this is in the best interests of individual students.

These qualifications provide students with a structured and challenging individualised learning programme that supports their development and progression in line with their future career plans.

They are the substantial qualification component of the study programme and enable students to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding required to work in the travel and tourism industry or to undertake further study and develop students’ knowledge and understanding across a range of travel and tourism practices.

They enable the students to further develop essential knowledge about a variety of sub-sectors, such as tour guiding, travel agency operations, hospitality and undertaking research into a variety of tourist destinations.

Students will develop generic, transferable skills valued by employers, such as effective teamwork, customer service, planning and health and safety principles. They will also research job opportunities and assess their strengths in areas such as positive attitude, punctuality and self-motivation.

In addition, the requirement to complete optional units means that students are able to develop more specialist knowledge about different tourist destinations in the UK.

For those who wish to study at a higher level, the qualifications will enable them to develop higher level learning skills such as independent working, research, self-reflection and collaborative learning.