Travel and Tourism Level 3

This course is for young people aged 16-18 and adults aged 19 and over. To enjoy and succeed on this career in the travel and tourism industry, you need to be excited by the idea of travel, interested in other cultures and enthusiastic about providing excellent customer service.

You should be motivated to learn and able to work independently and as part of a supportive team. An interest in current affairs would be an advantage.

During the first year of this course, you will study a variety of topics including investigating the Aviation, Hospitality and Tourism industry as well as understanding tourist destinations and sustainability. You will also investigate what attracts certain groups of people to visit a range of UK and overseas destinations and you will develop your ability to deal with customers in a variety of situations.

You will also be expected to undertake a work experience placement in year one.

Year two will further develop your industry-related skills and knowledge and specifically explore a wider range of topics such as events planning, tour operations and travel agencies as well as visitor attraction management and the cruising industry.

You must have 5 x GCSEs at Grade C/4 or above including English Language and Maths.

Ideally, you should also have a Grade 4 or above in Geography and a passion for understanding the world. The ability to speak another language would be an advantage.

You will learn at college through classroom lessons, practical activities, group work and guest speakers. You will learn outside of college through work experience and educational visits to tourist destinations and employers. You will be assessed in a variety of ways including role play, group work, assignments, presentations and external exams.

If you successfully complete the Diploma in year one, you can progress to the Extended Diploma in year two. This would enable you to progress to broad range of related courses at university if you wish, for example, Tourism Management, Tourism and Event Management, Tourism and Hospitality Management, or Travel Aviation and Tourism Management.

Alternatively, you could seek employment after completing the Diploma or the Extended Diploma. You could work in many different areas of the tourism industry, such as travel operations, tour operations, accommodation, events or visitor attractions. You could pursue a wide variety of careers, depending on the level of your learning, for example travel agent, air cabin crew, cruise ship steward, holiday representative, tour guide, aircraft dispatcher, events coordinator, hotel or in a visitor attraction.

You will need to pay towards the cost of trips, resources and uniform. If you are on a limited income, you may be eligible to receive help with these costs from our Learner Support Funding Bursary.