Garden City, New York . . . As an added benefit to IATAN ID Cardholders, IATAN is again offering tuition assistance for the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA) Certified Travel Associate (CTA) and Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) designations.

The program has been popular since its inception: 360 travel agents have taken advantage of these individual grants. The breakdown, by title, is impressive, as it indicates that people at all levels in travel agencies have an interest in furthering their educational goals.

11 were sole proprietors
13 were partners
35 were stockholders of travel agency corporations
21 were officers
68 were managers
195 were employees
17 were independent contractors
IATAN’s President and CEO Mike Maino said, “Having achieved the CTC designation myself, as has our Vice President and Treasurer, Denise Ladouceur and Vice President Sales and Marketing, Elizabeth Milward, we can personally attest to the worthiness of ICTA’s

programs and believe strongly in IATAN’s aim to help others obtain more education through financial aid.

ICTA’s President, Jack E. Mannix, CTC, said, “We at ICTA are grateful for the opportunity that IATAN offers CTA and CTC candidates. IATAN recognizes that as the industry is changing rapidly, travel professionals must take advantage of every opportunity to stay informed. IATAN is sharing in ICTA’s mission to promote professionalism and create a national standard of excellence through educational programs.”

This year, IATAN will grant a total of 80 tuition assistance grants: 5 per month, in the amount of $125 each, for those seeking the CTA designation, and 5 per month, in the amount of $250 each, for those pursuing the CTC designation. To qualify for this assistance, travel agents must hold a valid IATAN ID Card.

The first grants will be awarded in May, and the program will end in December 2000. Thus, a total of 80 tuition assistance grants will be awarded during 2000 for ICTA educational programs.

The Programs

The Certified Travel Associate (CTA) certification is for those with at least 18 months of travel industry experience and who pass the CTA certification exam within one year of enrollment.

The second step in ICTA’s certification process is the Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) certification. Travel professionals must first pass the CTA exam, then complete the

required CTC courses, and pass the certification exam within 18 months of enrollment. To obtain the CTC designation, candidates must have five years of industry experience upon completion of the program. For full details on these certification programs, agents can visit ICTA’s Website at www.icta.com, call them at 1-800-542-4282, or call the ICTA Fax Request Line at 1-888-FAX-ICTA.

Entry Requirements

In order to be eligible for IATAN’s Tuition Assistance Program, an applicant must:
1. be registered with IATAN; and
2. hold a current IATAN ID Card; and
3. be continuously employed in the travel industry full-time for at least three years; and
4. obtain a letter of recommendation from the agency owner/manager; and
5. complete the entire application form, including a statement of 25 words or less on how
the CTA or CTC designation will help his/her career.

Winning entries are selected at the sole discretion of IATAN. Each application will be reviewed to ensure the applicant meets the criteria established for the program. Those not initially selected will be included in all future drawings for this year, so agency personnel need only apply once. Applicants who were not selected during the previous years’ Tuition Assistance Programs are welcome to reapply again this year.

Tuition assistance certificates are non-transferable and can be redeemed only with ICTA in connection with a course of study for the CTA or the CTC designation. The certificate has no cash value and must be redeemed to ICTA within 90 days of the date of issue.

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