INTERNATIONAL. The Duty Free World Council (DFWC) Academy has announced that its flagship course – the Certificate in Duty Free and Travel Retail – is being updated to reflect the changing nature of the industry and registrations will be opened before the end of 2021. The first student cohorts will begin taking the redeveloped course in the first quarter of next year.
The course is designed for individuals seeking to develop their careers in the duty free industry. It is targeted at retail sales professionals, individuals from brands and industry support organisations who are either new to the industry or wish to further deepen their knowledge of it.
It is suitable for commercial executives from the aviation, maritime and other duty free and travel retail industry channels.
The creation of the course is guided by an Academic Advisory Group comprising representatives of leading industry retailers including Aer Rianta International, Dubai Duty Free and Lagardère Travel Retail.
Multi-category brand expertise for the Certificate in Duty Free and Travel Retail comes through representatives from Brown-Forman, Duty Free Global, Imperial Brands, Lacoste, L’Oréal and Mondelez. Broader industry perspectives are provided by the DFWC and Tax Free World Association.
The DFWC – which recently announced a strategic training partnership with Airports International Council (ACI World) – said that its Academy courses are designed to fill the knowledge gaps that are now greater than ever in the industry following the loss of many experienced industry colleagues since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was highlighted in the recent International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores (IAADFS) webinar that travel retailers are faced with significant challenges in recruiting qualified and motivated staff as they reopen from the forced closures of the past 18 months.
The DFWC asserted that the provision of bespoke training can play a key role in the recruitment and retention of staff and providing the optimum shopping experience for travellers as they return to duty free stores.
Further details on the Certificate in Duty Free and Travel Retail and other DFWCA courses can be found here.
