UNWTO Practicum
Specialized Internship Initiative for Officials of UNWTO Member State NTAs
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
Concept:
The UNWTO Practicum has a duration of fourteen days and is conducted at the premises of the UNWTO.Themis Foundation in Andorra la Vella (Principality of Andorra), and at UNWTO Headquarters in Madrid (Spain), where officials will participate in a five-day interactive seminar on Tourism Marketing, as well as familiarizing themselves with the UNWTO programmes and meeting with the responsible officials at Headquarters.The languageof these activities will be English.
This initiative will start with arrival in Barcelona (Spain) on 8th May and a visit of this town and continue with a two-day programme in Andorra la Vella (Principality of Andorra) where the participants will receive an in-depth introduction to UNWTO/UNWTO.Themis programmes in education and training, meet with authorities from the Government of Andorra and representatives of public-private entities, and visit these latter ones. This will be followed by two and a half days of meetings at UNWTO Headquarters in Madrid (Spain) with responsible chiefs of the programme departments, regional representations and other UNWTO officials to provide an overview of the Organization’s activities. The second week of the UNWTO Practicum, also at UNWTO Headquarters, will be focused on a five-day interactive seminar on key issues in Tourism Marketing, providing the participants with a forum in which to strengthen their knowledge in this area and examine the implications of tourism marketing in the overall tourism policy of their countries in particular and with regard to the challenges facing today’s rapidly evolving world.
Objective and structure:
This UNWTO Practicum session’s programme has been designed to assist UNWTO Member States in building the capacity of the officials of their NTAs at national and regional level, with state-of-the-art knowledge and practical experiences in core areas of responsibilities, such as Tourism Marketing, which is the area to be addressed in this session of the UNWTO Practicum.
Participants:
A maximum of 20 participants. They should be highly qualified officials holding a management-level post with decision-making responsibilities at the NTA nominated by the highest authority of the National Tourism Administration.
Conditions:
Accommodation will be covered by UNWTO and participants will receive a subsistence allowance to cover most meals not included in the programme and incidental expenses.
Transport from the home country to Barcelona (Spain), and from Madrid (Spain) back to the home country, will be covered by the Government sending the official.
Transport included within the programme of the course will be covered by UNWTO.
Structure of the Seminar:
Following the first week of familiarization with the UNWTO.Themis Foundation and UNWTO Headquarters, the Seminar will commence. It will be conducted by UNWTO experts in the area of Tourism Marketing and will be highly interactive. During the afternoon sessions, the participants will be divided into working groups to work on specific practical issues, to later be presented to the whole group. This hands-on approach enables participants to thoroughly analyse and discuss the most relevant issues.
2. GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION
To qualify for the UNWTO Practicum, a candidate must meet the following conditions:
1) To be a highly qualified official occupying a management post with decision-making responsibilities in the NTA of a UNWTO Member State (or, in the case of a decentralized Administration, to be a regional tourism officer, duly recommended by both the Regional Government and Central Government);
2) To have held this post in the NTA for a minimum of one year.
3) To have been active in UNWTO programme development and implementation. While this is not a sine qua non requisite, priority will be given to candidates with this merit;
4) Have completed university education validated by a diploma (at least Bachelors or Masters level);
5) To be between twenty-seven and forty-five years of age;
6) To have sound professional experience in the public sector;
7) To have an excellent command of English; and
8) To have a clear idea of the professional objectives he/she wishes to attain during the UNWTO Practicum period and how these are applicable to his work at his/her country’s National Tourism Administration.
3. ADMISSIONS PROCEDURE
The eligible candidate should:
a) Previously secure a nomination from his/her Administration, in the form of a letter of introduction from the highest authority of the National Tourism Administration of his/her country;
b) Send a letter of intention to the UNWTO Education and Training Department stating:
1) he/she is fully aware of the details concerning the content and format of the UNWTO Practicum as well as the commitment this entails on his/her part (participation in activities, attendance at the training sessions, etc.)
2) his/her professional achievements and career goals; and how these relate to the UNWTO Practicum
3) the professional objectives he/she expects to attain through his/her participation in the UNWTO Practicum
c) Fill in the e-Application Form and send to the UNWTO Education and Training Department (educa@unwto.org) copies of his/her certificates or diplomas obtained, of his/her passport and a recent photo.
Upon acceptance as a participant in the UNWTO Practicum, to:
d) To submit a medical certificate stating that he/she is in good health, fully fit for work and free from infectious disease ;and
e) To submit a copy of a current international individual all-risk insurance policy to cover his/her stay abroad prior to participation.
