Context Tourism is a vital economic sector for many rural communities, particularly those located in regions of high natural value. The growth of tourism worldwide has in many instances led to the revitalisation of rural areas struggling with youth outmigration and decreasing job opportunities in traditional sectors. Adventure tourism has grown very rapidly worldwide in recent decades, leading to the establishment of new companies and new professional careers which are open both to young people and adults. All partner countries having thriving tourism sectors in their respective regions, as well as educational, innovation and research institutions dedicated to serving their regional communities. However, tourism operates in a very dynamic environment, with ever greater demands on SMEs; to stay competitive and to professionalise the tourism ‘product’, however, the sector is widely acknowledged as needing to improve its skill base Objective The main objective of ADVENT (Adventure Tourism Vocational Education and Training) is to strengthen SMEs ability to meet such challenges through increased accessibility of educational and training programs. To do this, collaborative forums need to be created on a cross-sectoral level, with participation of both educational institutes and representatives of tourism SMEs. These forums will identify the educational needs of SMEs and design and develop courses appropriate to meeting them. The Project Consortium ADVENT involves three consortia, with eight partners, in Iceland, Finland and Scotland. The project is led by FAS, a upper secondary school in southeast Iceland, working with the University of Iceland’s Hornafjordur Regional Research Centre and the local destination management organisation (DMO), Visit Vatnajökull. In Finland, the Department of Tourism and Sports at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences is working with the vocational school Kainuun ammattiopisto and Naturpolis, the regional business center in Kuasamo. The lead Scottish partner is West Highland College. A partner college of the University of the Highlands and Islands, it comprises two complementary departments: the School of Adventure Studies and the Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research (CRTR). It will work with the Lochaber Chamber of Commerce, the local DMO which brands the region as the Outdoor Capital of UK. The project´s main target group is adult adventure tourism practitioners, both entrepreneurs and employees, but young students will also benefit from the educational initiatives undertaken. Project Activities The project´s main activities involve the development and subsequent piloting of nine innovative study modules, three in each partner country. These will all be monitored and evaluated and then validated or accredited, as appropriate, by the educational institutes involved. The participants in these study modules will all be drawn from SMEs through the national forums in partner countries and thus over time lay the foundation for the creation of a community of practice. It is estimated that around 50-60 individuals will participate directly in project activities. Methodology The project´s methodology is based on ‘androgogy’ and places particular emphasis on self-directed and experiential learning. The main results of the project will be new courses, developed in close cooperation with adventure tourism SMEs. These will become part of restructured programs at the educational institutes, targeting adult practitioners. Some study modules will also involve training experienced practitioners to become instructors, both on a peer-to-peer level and for young students. Project Impact The impact of the project will mainly be felt at the local or regional level, in terms of upskilled local SMEs and young students, the development of new curricula, and through enhanced collaboration between the educational and business sectors. It should also lead to greater interest and motivation among young people in seeking jobs in the adventure tourism sector or starting up their own company. The transnational aspect of the project is highly important to its success and will be given strong attention. The Legacy The long-term sustainability of the project´s results will be ensured by incorporating the developed study modules into existing educational programs and also by restructuring the programs so they can be more responsive to the educational needs of adventure tourism SMEs. The project will furthermore lay the foundation for continued transnational cooperation between the partner countries, e.g. through new possibilities for student and staff mobility between countries. Finally, the long-term benefits of the project will also involve the creation of forums where different sectors can meet and collaborate on tasks that are vital to the sustainability of their local/regional communities, such as enhanced vocational education and training.
Context Tourism is a vital economic sector for many rural communities, particularly those located in regions of high natural value. The growth of tourism worldwide has in many instances led to the revitalisation of rural areas struggling with youth outmigration and decreasing job opportunities in traditional sectors. Adventure tourism has grown very rapidly worldwide in recent decades, leading to the establishment of new companies and new professional careers which are open both to young people and adults. All partner countries having thriving tourism sectors in their respective regions, as well as educational, innovation and research institutions dedicated to serving their regional communities. However, tourism operates in a very dynamic environment, with ever greater demands on the tourism SMEs; to stay competitive and to professionalise the ‘product’, however, the sector is widely acknowledged as needing to improve its skill base. Objective The main objective of ADVENT (Adventure Tourism Vocational Education and Training) is to strengthen SMEs ability to meet such challenges through increased accessibility of educational and training programs. To do this, collaborative forums was created on a cross-sectoral level, with participation of both educational institutes, researchers and representatives of tourism SMEs. These forums did identify the educational needs of SMEs and designed and developed courses appropriate to meet these needs. The Project Consortium ADVENT involved three consortia, with eight partners, in Iceland, Finland and Scotland. The project was led by FAS, an upper secondary school in Iceland, working with the University of Iceland’s Hornafjordur Regional Research Centre and the local destination management organisation (DMO), Visit Vatnajökull. In Finland, the Department of Tourism and Sports at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences worked with the vocational school Kainuun ammattiopisto and Naturpolis, the regional business center in Kuasamo. The lead Scottish partner was West Highland College. A partner college of the University of the Highlands and Islands, it comprises two complementary departments: the School of Adventure Studies and the Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research (CRTR). It worked with the Lochaber Chamber of Commerce, the local DMO which brands the region as the Outdoor Capital of UK. The project´s main target group were adult adventure tourism practitioners, both entrepreneurs and employees, but young students will also benefit from the educational initiatives that were undertaken. Project Activities The project´s main activities involved the development and subsequent piloting of nine innovative study modules, three in each partner country. These was all monitored and evaluated and then validated or accredited, as appropriate, by the educational institutes involved. The participants in these study modules was all drawn from SMEs through the national forums in partner countries and thus over time lay the foundation for the creation of a community of practice. Close to 60 individuals participated directly in the module piloting activities. Methodology The project´s methodology is based on ‘androgogy’ and placed particular emphasis on self-directed and experiential learning. The main results of the project were the new courses, developed in close cooperation with adventure tourism SMEs. These are a part of restructured programs at the educational institutes, targeting adult practitioners. Some of the study modules also involve training experienced practitioners to become instructors, both on a peer-to-peer level and for young students. Project Impact The impact of the project was mainly felt at the local or regional level, in terms of up-skilled local SMEs and young students. In some of the schools the modules are a part of a curricula now, and are also offered as a free standing learning offers. A collaboration between the educational and business sectors was established and it has also lead to greater interest and motivation among young people regarding further education in adventure tourism, and also regarding seeking jobs in the sector. The transnational aspect of the project was highly important to its success. The Legacy The long-term sustainability of the project´s results is ensured by incorporating the developed study modules into existing educational programs and also by restructuring the programs so they can be more responsive to the educational needs of adventure tourism SMEs. The project did furthermore lay the foundation for continued transnational cooperation between the partner countries, e.g. through new possibilities for student and staff mobility. Finally, the long-term benefits of the project involves the creation of forums where different sectors meet and collaborate on tasks that are vital to the sustainability of their local/regional communities, such as enhanced vocational education and training.