Certification vs. Certification

Steve Gillick, CTM
The Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors

 
Certification is offered everywhere these days, so no wonder there is such confusion! You can take a 10-minute online webinar and become a certified destination specialist (although I really would not bank my career opportunities on that one); you can be a certified travel counsellor, a certified cruise specialist; you can be certified as passing the TICO exam in Ontario or the OPC exam in Quebec, and if you tried to attain all the certifications possible, then you would most likely be labeled as “certifiable” (that’s an older term for ‘insane’ ) LOL.

The best way to resolve these questions is through a brief Certification ‘Primer”.

CTC and CTM: the National Certification Programs
In Canada’s travel industry, individuals can become a Certified Travel Counsellor (CTC) or a Certified Travel Manager (CTM). These programs are national in scope—meaning that they are valid throughout the country. Each program is based on national standards determined respectively for the occupation of travel counsellor or travel manager. These standards are developed by the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) with the support of CITC (the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors).

Standards are set through a series of national focus groups in various regions, comprised of a variety of stakeholders including educators, leisure and corporate travel counsellors, owners, managers, trainers and suppliers. The standards define the basic skills required to successfully perform the jobs of travel counsellor and travel manager. Standards are reviewed, revised, updated or discarded every 3-5 years, so that they reflect the current skill environment for the profession. So to give just one example: in the ‘old’ days there were fairly uniform baggage rules for every airline, usually 2 pieces of checked luggage. Nowadays each airline has its own rules and regulations. The standard that covers the knowledge of baggage rules has therefore been revised to reflect this change.

While it is a bit confusing that CITC confers the CTC designation, the proper way to refer to the designation is in fact “ I am a CTC” and not “I have the CITC” (As a matter of note, CITC owns the trademarks “CTC” and “CTM” in Canada as they pertain to travel industry professional designations).

The ONLY way to acquire the CTC or CTM is to register and pass the various evaluations associated with each program and then to pay annual professional dues to CITC to maintain use of the designation. There is no other way to acquire the CTC or CTM. Certification information is available at www.citc.ca/en/certification.

TICO Certification
The Travel Industry Council of Ontario regulates the industry in Ontario and enforces the provincial legislation that mandates that every person who sells or advises consumers about travel products and services must pass the TICO Travel Counsellor Exam. There is also a Supervisor/Manager Exam.

TICO has contracted CITC to administer these exams and herein lies some confusion. When someone passes one or both of the TICO exams, they are formally “TICO –Compliant”. Some people get confused for two reasons:

1) TICO refers to the program as being ‘certified” to sell travel

2) CITC administers the program under contract with TICO

So some travel professionals, believe, upon passing the TICO travel counsellor exam that they are now CTC. They are NOT. They are TICO-compliant and that is all. And some travel professionals who pass the TICO Supervisor/Manager Exam believe they are now CTM. They are NOT. They are TICO-compliant and that is all.

TICO compliance requires an understanding of Ontario provincial legislation, as reflected in the Travel Industry Act 2002 and Ontario Regulation 26/05. National certification (CTC/CTM) requires knowledge of the nationally determined skill sets required to perform the duties of a travel professional. www.citc.ca/ticoexam

OPC Certification
Similar in nature to Ontario’s TICO exam, the Office de la Protection du Consommateur (OPC) has a mandatory provincial exam requirement. The passing of the OPC exam means that travel professionals are OPC-compliant. They are not Certified Travel Counsellors or CTCs. If anything those who pass the provincial requirement can refer to themselves as an OPC-certified travel counsellor but the OPC must be mentioned to qualify what kind of certification has been earned. If the OPC is dropped from the title, then the travel professional in question may be misleading the public and industry. http://www.opc.gouv.qc.ca/

CLIA certification
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has offered cruise-specific designations for many years. The programs, based on rigorous cruise knowledge and experience include the ACC (Accredited Cruise Counsellor); MCC (Master Cruise Counsellor); ECC (Elite Cruise Counsellor); ECCS (Elite Cruise Counsellor Scholar, and the new LCS (Luxury Cruise Specialist). Many travel professionals who have earned the CTC or CTM designation, have also earned a cruise specialist designation and it is not unusual to see both marks of distinction on a business card or letterhead, for example, Josephine Smith CTC, MCC. http://www.cruising.org/

Specialist Certification
Many organizations and some associations offer Destination and Lifestyle specialist programs. When someone passes the evaluation (a test, Exam or assignment) after studying the program material, they can become a specialist, eg Alaska Specialist or Wedding Specialist. However only after the specialist acquires a level of experience defined by the specific course, can that person properly earn the right to use “Certified Alaska Specialist” or “Certified Wedding Specialist”. In other words, the use of the word “certified” should not be used casually or in a flippant fashion. This is earned through experience and education. There are usually no initials that accompany these types of designations, but again, becoming a Certified destination specialist does not mean you are a CTC. The CTC and CTM must be earned through Canada’s travel industry certification programs. www.citc.ca/en/certification

For questions about certification or to confirm the status of your own or a colleague’s certification, please contact members@citc.ca