Green Badge Scottish Tourist Guide
COURSE INFORMATION:
Place of Study: Shetland College UHI and visitor attractions around Shetland. Part 1 of the course can be studied through distance learning.
Mode of Study: Part time
Length of course: 28 weeks
Start Date: August 2011
Entry Requirements: Interest in Shetland, a good level of education, basic IT skills. An email address is also essential. Foreign language skills would be an advantage. Interview will include giving a 3 minute presentation on a Shetland/Scottish subject of choice.
COURSE SUMMARY:
This course is designed to teach you the skills and knowledge required to be a Green Badge Tourist Guide in Shetland. This is a worldwide recognised qualification accredited by the Scottish Tourist Guides Association. The course is divided into two areas: practical sessions and background knowledge.
The practical sessions are designed to allow you to practice the skills you will need as a tour guide at a variety of sites around Shetland. Typically you will have a short demonstration tour by an experienced guide; the trainee guides will then take over and will have the opportunity for a practice session informed by your pre-prepared route cards. These sessions will be taught and assessed by experienced Shetland Tour Guide Trainers. The evening class lectures are designed to increase your background knowledge of Shetland and are given by a variety of guest lecturers, who are all subject specialists. Each of these lectures is on a different area of interest, often there will be two different lectures in one evening. These sessions are ideal for existing guides to update their knowledge.
COURSE CONTENT:
Course modules include:
Archaeology and Pre-History; Medieval and Modern History; Physical and Natural History; Art and Architecture; Historical Geography; Human Environment; Contemporary Scotland; Culture and Institutions.
Professional Guiding Skills and Area Studies:
- Interpretation and presentation skills; practical guiding skills, professional ethics
- Business skills; tour planning, product knowledge of Shetland/Scottish tourism, customer service, health and safety, region related awareness of Scottish, UK and world issues for tour guides
- Region specific applied knowledge
HOW WILL I STUDY?
Self study is a requirement of this course. You will be set a variety of tasks to help you develop the skills of a Tourist Guide. The specialist lecturers may identify an area that you feel you would like more information about. The Saturday guiding sessions will require preparation of route cards from both the demonstration tours and your research. Mentor sessions will also be available to support you in achieving this worldwide recognised qualification. The background knowledge sessions are available by video conference.
STAFF QUOTE:
"This is an fascinating course which develops your knowledge of Shetland allowing you to enhance the experience of visitors and tourists by giving them an insight into Shetland its attractions and history." Gordon Stark, Lecturer.
PROGRESSION:
Academic: STGA Blue Badge Guide, SCQF Level 7
Employment/Career: Tourist guide, Visitor Attraction guide, Tourist advisor
Former students have: Worked as tour guides on tours within Shetland
