FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION –
Craig Adelman, president and CEO, 414-410-8318
MILWAUKEE – Adelman Travel Group, the largest travel management firm based in Wisconsin, acquired Milwaukee’s only independent travel school to train new travel agents and provide advanced courses for current employees. Adelman, the 28th largest travel management firm in the U.S. according to Business Travel News, has operations nationwide.
The Travel Academy, opened in 1978 and located on the northwest side of Milwaukee, is approved by the American Society of Travel Agents and uses The Travel Institute’s course materials. The academy offers a college-level curriculum with hands-on experience. New courses begin each month, and tuition discounts and financing are available.
During the next two quarters of 2004, Adelman Travel Group will need at least 20 additional travel consultants to staff full-service onsite travel centers located at new corporate clients. Newly trained employees will also be required at Adelman’s regional
reservation centers located in Milwaukee, Boston, Hartford, Ansonia, Conn., and Irvine, Calif. The Travel Academy trained approximately 30% of current Adelman travel consultants.
With a maximum class size of 12, the academy provides students with personal attention. Various classes, including a seven-week full-time day class and a 16-week part-time evening class, are offered at any one time. The Travel Academy also provides career counseling, including resume preparation, and placement for graduates. Housing is available nearby for out-of-town students.
Graduates become well versed in destination geography, customer service and sales, as well as the latest modes and methods used with computerized airline reservation systems and the Internet. The academy will also educate current Adelman staff about new technologies related to online booking systems.
Upon graduating from The Travel Academy program, a travel consultant is qualified for a wide variety of positions at travel agencies, airlines, tour companies, cruise lines, car rental chains, travel trade organizations, hotels, resorts and other hospitality firms. They can also start their own travel business, such as a home-based agency, and apply for the industry’s certified travel associate designation.
“In several parts of the country, including Wisconsin, there is a shortage of qualified travel professionals,” said Craig Adelman, president and CEO of Adelman Travel Group. “We acquired The Travel Academy to ensure that we have access to quality candidates for employment. The high service levels required by corporations for their business travelers demand good technology skills, knowledge of geography, and an above-average ability to communicate. Education, in general, obviously plays a prominent role in Wisconsin and in the country, as more and more jobs require new training.”
The Travel Academy acquisition occurred one month after all 250 existing Adelman travel consultants completed a unique customer service course developed specifically for the company’s use. The new customer service initiative is in addition to the seven-week “Adelman Institute” that travel consultants attend when hired by the company after graduating from a qualified travel school. Adelman also recently launched a travel consultant mentoring program that pairs new travel consultant employees with veteran Adelman travel professionals.
Adelman offers travel and training benefits for its employees who desire advanced training. In addition, qualified employees are also eligible to be reimbursed for 50% of the cost of tuition and textbooks for approved, continuing education courses and attendance at seminars and educational trips.
About Adelman Travel: Milwaukee-based Adelman Travel Group placed more than 300,000 travelers on flights in 2003, including about 265,000 domestic flights and 35,000 international flights. It has three divisions — Corporate Travel Management, Vacations, and Meetings and Incentives. Adelman also operates more than 70 full-service, onsite travel centers in corporations and institutions throughout the U.S. with worldwide offices serviced by Radius, the global travel company. Adelman Travel is a member of ASTA, CLIA and Virtuoso. The company was founded in 1985.
