Training for Travel, Tenterden Street, Bury

BURY-based Training for Travel (TFT) has come a long way since the thriving business was launched 12 years ago.

Under the stewardship of commercial director Beverley Platt and managing director Joanne Roche, the firm is recognised as the leading travel training provider in the UK. Its dozens of clients range from small independent travel shops to huge worldwide businesses, such as Tui, Thomson, Co-op, Jet2, Gold Medal and Virgin.

Located in Tenterden Street and employing an 83-strong workforce, TFT has been awarded the coveted Three Star Status by the Best Companies Association for 2009. Additionally, the firm was listed in the Top 100 Companies to work for in the UK, as published in the Sunday Times.

The Bury company’s assessors are based throughout the UK and even overseas. The two businesswomen launched the firm when they identified a niche in the market for specialist travel and tourism training.

During the past 12 years, TFT has gained a reputation for being the best at teaching people of all ages to achieve National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), along with other travel industry awards. TFT has consistently achieved year-on-year growth and increased its workforce annually.

Jordan Makin, marketing co-ordinator, said: “We offer free Government-funded NVQs to our customers. Our learners are put on to a framework, which is basically like coursework, and our assessors, over a period of months, help them through the qualification so they achieve the highest possible grade.

“The fact that we can offer the best quality training to our existing and potential customers completely free of charge is what makes us completely different from the rest.”

Looking to the future, he concluded: “We plan to simply grow more and more, tackling smaller independent firms, as well as big contact centres, airports and ski villages.”