The Travel Institute Helping Industry Newcomers Kickstart Travel Careers through Special Fund

Non-profit education leader urges travel professionals to take ownership of career growth at all stages

 

FRAMINGHAM, MA, January 7, 2025 – The Travel Institute is again offering its dedicated TRIPKITSM Scholarship Fund, available throughout Q1 while funds last, with tuition assistance for the education leader’s award-winning, introductory education program for new and inexperienced agents.

 

“Bringing new talent—not simply new people—into the travel profession is incredibly important to our mission, which is the industry’s collective success,” emphasized Diane Petras, CTIE, president of The Travel Institute. “As an independent organization, The Travel Institute is uniquely positioned to provide the broad and unbiased foundation of critical industry and business knowledge that newcomers need,” Petras asserted.

 

Petras added that the course also helps new agents weigh important decisions about employee vs. independent contractor roles, host agency considerations, and potential specialization to help start their career on solid footing.

 

The $150 USD scholarships, approximately 30% of program costs, are open to both inexperienced agents as well as individuals outside the industry who complete the required application. The designated fund, initially launched last year, has been exceedingly popular, contributing to The Travel Institute’s average 51% growth in enrollments over the past two years as the industry continues to attract newcomers seeking a career in travel. At the same time, The Travel Institute’s certification programming for advancing experienced, seasoned travel professionals also continues at a record pace with more than 600 newly certified graduates in 2024 alone. 

 

With educated advisors “aging out” across all levels throughout the industry, The Travel Institute emphasizes affordable and quality industry education for all travel professionals from front-line, entry-level agents to mid-level managers and senior industry leaders. In 2025, along with curriculum updates to TRIPKIT and its 3-tier certification program for seasoned professionals, The Travel Institute also anticipates new and updated content throughout the year for specialist courses as well as on other timely industry topics. 

 

Other 2025 key priorities for The Travel Institute include:

•         A robust schedule for “PEP Talks” live online lectures: The Travel Institute’s Professional Educators Program, or PEP, members are top trainers, educators and speakers in their field of expertise from both inside and outside the industry. With a growing roster of more than 70 PEP members volunteering their time in support of industry education and success, The Travel Institute facilitates sharing their insight and tips through complimentary live presentations online, along with blogs, research, white papers, interviews and more. The Travel Institute’s certified graduates earn two continuing education units, or CEUs, toward annual ongoing education requirements for attendance. PEP Talks are also recorded and available on-demand for subscribers of The Travel Institute’s Premium Access online content library. The complete Q1 schedule for PEP Talks will be released in mid-January.

•         Enhanced functionality for The Travel Institute’s Premium Access online, on-demand library with new cataloging and user capabilities expected to improve search results and enable easier access to its more than 400 hours of recently vetted expert content. The library’s content covers all levels of learning—including timely single-subject resources, key certification modules, and destination and niche market specialization courses—and is created by The Travel Institute, its PEP members, partners, and other expert resources. Subscribers utilize the library for on-demand learning and to meet the continuing education unit, or CEU, requirements. Release date for the new functionality is to be announced.

•         Increased consumer outreach to further raise awareness of the value educated travel professionals offer and continued collaboration with board members, partners, sponsors and other stakeholders in support of both TTI educational programs and customized training efforts.

 

“We’re coming off an amazing 2024, and we’re not letting up in 2025,” promised Petras. “Education has been proven to make travel professionals better producers, better business owners, and better industry leaders. We have a long track record of demonstrated results and a clear mandate from the industry to continue our mission.”

 

Applications for the TRIPKITSM Scholarship Fund are now being accepted; interested agents can also attend a courtesy new-to-the-industry webinar to learn more. The Travel Institute’s event calendar lists confirmed 2025 PEP Talks as well as webinars about new agent learning, certification and more.

 

The Travel Institute relies on individuals and organizations to support its work to create relevant, meaningful, rigorous and affordable coursework for agents at all career stages. Donate funding, share your expertise with students, or learn more about sponsorships in support of agent, traveler, and industry success.

 

About TRIPKITSM

 

As the industry’s benchmark for newcomer training, TRIPKIT is utilized by organizations both as a standalone product and as integrated with internal, proprietary training. A turn-key, affordable and flexible educational tool, TRIPKIT uses an interactive learning platform with best-practice learning modules to help create an agent career path. TRIPKIT students finish the course with the Travel Agent Proficiency Exam, or TAP®, which evaluates mastery of industry basics and is often the first step in travel professional recognition. Recent TAP graduates are recognized on The Travel Institute website, and those looking for employment or a host are identified with a “Hire Me” link. Those exploring a career in travel or seeking a new agent training solution for their team can visit TRIPKIT to learn more. 

About The Travel Institute

 

A collaborative industry effort created in 1964, The Travel Institute has continuously evolved to maintain its role as the global leader and industry’s recognized gold standard in travel industry education and certification. Dedicated solely to advancing the professionalism of both agents and industry leaders in support of individual and industry success, The Travel Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, independent organization operating exclusively for educational purposes to meet the ever-changing needs of today’s travel agents. Working with leaders throughout the industry to create and deliver relevant, meaningful and rigorous coursework and using proctored, closed-book testing to ensure its graduates demonstrate the highest standards of expertise and service, The Travel Institute has more than 30,000 Certified Travel Associate—CTA®, Certified Travel Counselor—CTC®, and Certified Travel Industry Executive—CTIE® graduates. It also administers the Travel Agent Proficiency, or TAP®, exam to confirm students new to the industry demonstrate a mastery of travel industry basics. Countless individuals, agency owners and managers, and educational institutions utilize The Travel Institute’s award-winning TRIPKITSM introductory program and CTA® as their learning tools of choice. A trusted partner to industry suppliers and educational institutions, The Travel Institute is also the approved provider of travel industry civilian occupation training for U.S. military and has trained hundreds of thousands through various courses, webinars, and Premium Access online library content. Throughout North America, many successful agents and high-profile leaders credit their success to coursework from The Travel Institute. Learn more.