TORONTO — The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is throwing its support behind Canadian travel agents during the COVID-19 crisis with free online training courses designed for professional development.

Developed in partnership with ACTA, the JTB-sponsored training program will allow agents to enhance their business acumen, master new software platforms, develop coping strategies during this period of uncertainty, and acquire new skills and practical tools to prepare for the future.

Virtual instructor-led classes will be hosted on the third-party training platform PayWhatYouCan.Training. Courses cover such topics as sales and email marketing, Google and Microsoft products, social media and digital platforms, copywriting, workplace productivity, stress management and more.

Courses are scheduled for April and May and range from 45-minute sessions to longer in-depth training seminars.

Agents can access the free training portal and register for classes at http://pwyc.corpu.ca/acta.

Throughout the month of May, JTB will also partner with ACTA to provide financial bursaries to agents who are interested in completing their Certified Travel Counsellor (CTC) and/or Certified Travel Manager (CTM) accreditation. Under the partnership, enrollment fees for both ACTA-certified training programs will be offered at 50% off the regular price from May 1-30.

“This is our way of giving back to our valued travel agent partners during an incredibly difficult time while providing them with the practical knowledge and professional certifications they need to service their clients and build their business,” says Dan Hamilton, District Sales Manager, Jamaica Tourist Board, Canada. “Travel agents are the cornerstone of our industry and through this new online training initiative with ACTA we hope to support agents across the country and demonstrate that we are in this together.”