AAC Job Seekers and Community members felt empowered after they completed some Tour Guide Training.
AAC collaborated with The Nintirri Centre which hosted Savannah Guides to run Hiking Tour Training in Tom Price recently. The exciting opportunity ran out of the Nintirri Centre boardroom over nine business days. Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation and IBN Group assisted in contacting local job seekers and community members wanting to upskill in the tourism industry.
AAC hosted an information barbeque, giving prospective participants the chance to see what the training is all about and ask the trainer many questions regarding the upcoming course.
The participants enjoyed a balance of in-classroom education and field trips to surrounding locations facilitated by Director of Tourism Naturally, Neil McGilp.
Some of the topics covered were:
Storytelling, Art of Interpretation, Developing a Theme and Idea
Working with Traditional Owners on Cultural Perspectives, Protocols etc.
Sourcing and Researching Material, Developing a Commentary
Field Tour Delivery
Neil Spoke to ABC radio at the start of the course. His participants were certified and received a Statement of Achievement and three successfully completed the theory component of the Eco Guide Accreditation which was part of the Tour Guide Training Project. All participants are interested in pursuing further training and are looking forward to putting these newly-acquired skills into action.
Catering was provided daily using local food outlets, participants were heavily supported by the local Aboriginal Corporations which contributed to the success of the training. AAC collected participants from Wakathuni every day and Gumala Aboriginal Corporation kindly donated their 21-seater bus to use for the practical Field Work Tour Delivery at various locations including Karijini National Park.
Some feedback from participants were.
- The food was amazing thanks Nintirri.
- We are excited to attend any further training in the future and we would like to make plans to attend tours to get ideas from others.
- It was good leadership training with the planning, safety and communications elements.
- This has given us a foundation to explore tourism ventures and niche markets.
- It has provided us with contacts and industry resources.
- If you can be successful in this industry the wealth creation opportunities are great for individuals and the communities where they operate, this can have flow-on effects of improving people’s wellbeing.
Russell Boswell (Manager: Savannah Guides Limited) had the following to say at the conclusion of the course:
Savannah Guides hopes that the trainees pursue their guiding careers and are in a position to apply for EcoGuide certification once they have completed 12 months of guiding. We will contact the trainees by email to reinforce this message and also invite them to our upcoming Savannah Guides Field School in Kununurra/El Questro 12-16 October. That will be a great “behind the scenes” look at tour operations with various workshops to further develop skills and networks.
I hope that the trainees can also pursue their business aspirations with Neil through the upcoming support program. That is a wonderful opportunity.
AAC would like to thank all stakeholders involved in working together to achieve mutual outcomes in the Pilbara.