- Location
- Anniesland Campus
- SCQF Level
- 8
- Start Date
- 26 Aug 2024
- Qualification Type
- HND
- Course Type
- Full-Time
- Duration
- 2 Years (August to June)
Applications open 15th January 2025
Launch your travel career with our HND Travel and Tourism course. Throughout the course you will benefit from an industry-relevant curriculum, access to cutting-edge resources and guidance from our highly qualified and experienced lecturing team. During the HND you will cover key areas from airfares, ticketing, tour operations to retail travel and more. You will also gain proficiency in the latest reservations systems, including use of Galileo. From interpreting flight schedules to providing exceptional customer service, you will have the skills to thrive as cabin crew, a travel agent, tour operator, or in many other roles.
What will I learn?
In this HND Travel and Tourism course, you will cover a range of subjects designed for employment within the travel industry or for third year of a tourism course at university. Specific subjects you'll study include:
Year 1
- Tour guiding and resort representation
- International tourist destinations
- Communication: business communication
- Influences on the travel and tourism industry
- Structure of the travel and tourism industry
- Air travel
- Creating a culture of customer care
- Introduction to digital marketing
- Applying marketing principles in travel and tourism
- Preparation for employment in travel and tourism
- Airline and airport operations
- Travel and tourism: Graded unit 1.
Year 2
The second year of this course includes a study visit which is normally overseas. Previous trips have been to Madrid, Berlin and Paris.
- Marketing planning in travel and tourism
- Tour operations
- Planning and sustainable development in tourism
- Air travel: advanced
- Working as senior air cabin crew
- Foundations of activity tourism
- Travel and tourism: Graded unit 2
- Practical travel and tourism visit
- Business travel: An introduction
- Visitor attraction operations
- Work experience.
Follow us on Instagram @gcctravelandtourism
Entry requirements (minimum)
- NQ Travel and Tourism (Level 6) or another relevant NQ qualification or
- One Higher at grade C or above (For example Accounting, Business Management, English, Maths, Geography, History, Modern Studies, Biology, Chemistry or Physics); or
- We will consider your application if you can demonstrate an active interest in travel and tourism or have worked in the industry, but have no formal qualifications
- You should be 16 years or over by 30 September 2024.
Entry requirement equivalency table
- If you do not meet the entry criteria for your chosen course, you may be offered an alternative course in the same subject area.
Employer and industry links
All of the staff teaching the course have relevant industrial experience and maintain close links to those working within the industry. We offer work experience and invite guest speakers from a variety of organisations within the travel industry. Listed below are just some of the organisations we have links with:
- Emirates
- British Airways
- Jet2.com
- Air New Zealand
- TUI
- Swissport (for airport check-in)
- Barrhead Travel
- Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Articulation Routes
Glasgow Clyde College works closely in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University to offer an Associate Student scheme. This allows you all the benefits of being a Glasgow Caledonian student, as well as a guaranteed place in the third year of a number of their tourism degrees whilst studying at college (subject to achieving certain college grades).
On successful completion of the HND Travel and Tourism, you may progress to:
- BA (Hons) International Business and Tourism Management at Glasgow Caledonian University (year 3)
- BA (Hons) in Tourism Management at the University of the West of Scotland (year 3)
- BA (Hons) International Tourism Management at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (year 3)
Jobs and further study
Jobs in airport check-in, cabin crew, retail travel (travel agents), business travel, holiday reps, hotel and tour operations.
Take a look at the course progression map for travel and tourism courses.
Making an application
For courses starting in August, you can make up to two applications.
Applications are made to a course and a first choice of campus. If the course is oversubscribed at your first choice you will be automatically considered for alternative sites and may be made an offer without a further application.
I've applied — what happens next?
When you apply
You will receive an automated email confirming that we have received your application (remember to check your SPAM folder).
Your application will be reviewed by the admissions team and you will either be:
- Made a direct offer (unconditional or conditional) Note: If you do not have the formal qualifications but have experience working in a customer focused environment or have demonstrated an active interest in the travel industry a lecturer will call you to discuss your application
- A lecturer will phone you normally within 1 week of you accepting an offer to discuss the course contents and give you the opportunity to ask any questions about the college or the course
- Advised that your application is unsuccessful – you have not met the entry requirements for this course and are advised to contact the College Student Advice Centres to discuss alternative options which may be available to you.
We aim not to reject an application and if you don’t meet the entry requirements you may be referred to a different course or level.
If you are invited to interview, you will be informed of the outcome of your interview by email within 14 working days. The outcome will be one of the following:
- Unconditional offer of a place – you have met all the entry requirements and your place is guaranteed. You will be required to accept this offer to secure your place.
- Conditional offer of a place – your place is secured pending you meeting the entry requirements. This may mean achieving school or college qualifications which you may not be able to provide to us yet. You will be required to accept this offer to secure your conditional place. Once your conditions are met this will change to an unconditional offer of a place which you must accept before you can enrol on the course.
- Waiting list – you have met all entry requirements, and have been interviewed however, the course is now full so you have been placed on a waiting list. If any spaces become available you may be contacted, usually around the course start date. We would advise that you also consider other application options.
- Reserve list – following your application, you have unfortunately not been successful in this round of recruitment. We have placed your name on a Reserve list and your application may be reconsidered at a later date. This could happen any time up to the start date of the course but it is very possible that you will not be offered a place. We would advise that you also consider other application options.
- Unsuccessful – your application has been unsuccessful. You may be offered a place on a course at a different level, or advised to contact the College Student Advice Centres to discuss alternative options which may be available to you.
Once an offer is received, you must reply within 14 working days or risk losing your place, as the system will automatically decline your offer after 14 days.
Once you have accepted your offer, you will be sent out instructions about student funding, joining instructions and induction date. This will normally be sent out in June.
