For someone to take on the role and responsibilities as the “Travel Professional” is a major accomplishment. There are a large number of federal employees working in the travel area that work hard towards the goal of becoming a Travel professional. With travel being of great interest, for both the civilian and DoD side, you would think that there would be more training opportunities in this field to move someone up that path of gaining various certifications and skilled qualifications as a Travel Professional. In the beginning of my career, there were limited amount of training through the federal government. Most of my training and experience was gained through various vendors such as Sabre. We live in a society that federal employees can seek training through various avenues, webinar, VITS, or online courses. What is more surprising is that GSA has not worked with various travel vendors to implement a training Program for those of us who would like to receive a certification in the travel field. Three years ago, while serving as the Chief, of the Travel Management Division at the Department of Commerce, Office of the Secretary, I was told that all supervisors must complete their Project Management Certification in order to serve as managers. The program was offered through various vendors throughout the U.S. Today, that same program is offered through some colleges and universities as a bachelors program. The federal agencies, including GSA should consider looking into a travel program that could be offered to everyone.
By: Theresa Hollowell